J 


^yC^L/^^^i^^   /ff\/l 


C^  H.  hol^^p-^cJ 


3n  iMeniotiam. 


(Igras  fall  Moratirfi 


Sum  iebruarj!  15tf),  1809. 

mitii  man  isti).  issa. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge : 
Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  and  Company. 


U.1-  Ml  I 


fUvmix, 


MEMOIR. 


Cyrus    Hall  McCormick  was  born  February 

15,   1809,  at  the  old  homestead,  Walnut   Grove, 

midway   between    Lexington    and    Staunton,    in 

CO     Rockbridge  County,  Virginia.    His  parents,  Rob- 

07    ert  and  Mary  Ann   Hall  McCormick,  of  Scotch- 

^     Irish  descent,  possessed  great  strength  of  char- 

m    acter  and  natural  ability,  and  held  an  influential 

position  among  the  people  in  the  Valley.     Thrift 

tM    and  industry  had  secured  to  them  ease  of  circum- 

^    stances  in  a  devout,  intelligent,  and  happy  home, 

i    and  their  seven  children  shared  its  responsibilities 

and  pleasures.     The  children  were  trained  to  hab- 

,    its  of  self-reliance  and  industry,  Cyrus,  the  eldest, 

^    being  often  aroused  by  his  father's  call   at  five 

§  o'clock  to  go  to  work  in  the  field.     In  winter  he 

cj  .  •  . 

uj  acquired   his  education  at  "  the  old  field-school ' 

2:  . 

Q  in  the  neighborhood. 

*^         His  parents  were  remarkably  reverent  in  their 

observance  of  the  teachings  of  divine  truth ;  and 

Cyrus  grew  up  with  an  abiding  sense  of  duty  and 


44Btl 


o 


4  MEMOIR. 

right,  and  a  strong  hostility  to  false  pretenses, 
which  he  could  detect  with  rare  discrimination. 
An  unostentatious  bearing  was  the  natural  result 
of  such  a  training  in  a  country  home,  and  it  con- 
tinued  to  mark  his  character  through  life. 

On  Sunday  he  entered  as  earnestly  into  the 
singing  and  preaching  in  the  New  Providence 
Church  as  he  did  into  the  work  of  the  week-day, 
following  the  plough  or  tinkering  in  his  father's 
workshops.  There  he  sang  the  music  and  words 
of  beautiful  hymns  that  remained  his  chosen 
songs  of  praise  in  all  the  vicissitudes  and  changes 
of  his  career.  This  early  training  in  industry, 
honesty,  and  religious  duty  was  the  strongest  in- 
fluence in  moulding  his  character  and  life.  The 
bent  of  his  mind  was  from  the  first  towards  prac- 
tical mechanics,  and  this  was  developed  and 
strengthened  by  the  surroundings  of  his  life 
upon  a  farm,  remote  from  town  or  city.  Dur- 
ing those  youthful  days  he  spent  much  time  in 
the  carpenter  and  blacksmith  shops,  which  his 
father  maintained,  as  was  usual  then,  for  repair- 
ing the  farm  implements  and  doing  the  carpenter 
work  needed  upon  the  estate. 

In  these  shops,  when  only  fifteen,  he  made  with 
his  own  hands  a  grain-cradle  for  his  use  in  the 
harvest   field,   and    over    many  a  broad    acre    of 


MEMOIR.  5 

grain  did  he  swing  this  primitive  harvester  of  his 
boyhood,  keeping  his  place  with  this  light  and 
symmetrical  cradle  among  the  full-grown  and 
experienced  hands  in  his  father's  fields.  Thus 
early  in  life  he  had  a  practical  experience  of  the 
severe  toil  from  which  his  invention  afterwards 
released  millions  of  his  fellow-men. 

The  first   result  of  his   inventive  mind  was  a 
hillside  plough,  patented    in    1831,   for  throwing 
alternate  furrows  on  the  lower  side,  being  thus  a 
right  and  left  hand  plough  at  will.     Two   years 
later,  he  invented  a  superior  horizontal  self-sharp- 
ening plough,  which  was  pronounced  a  valuable 
improvement. 
\      Mr.  McCormick  inherited  from  his  father  ge- 
i  nius  for  invention  ;  from  his  mother,  genius  for 
I  practical  business  affairs.     This  rare  combination 
enabled   him  to  bring  to  a  successful  issue  the 
invention  which  has  given  him  world-wide  fame 
and  honor.     His  father,  Robert  McCormick,  who 
I   possessed   much    genius    in    the    construction  of 
I   hydraulic,  threshing,  and  hemp-breaking  machines, 
i   had  devised   a  reaper  in   18 16,  but,  like  all  pre- 
j  vious  attempts  by  others,  it  was  a  failure. 

Time  rolled  on,  but  this  old  reaper,  as  it  lay 
abandoned  near  the  workshop,  was  continually 
under  the  eye  of  the  young  Cyrus,  as  a  reminder 


6  MEMOIR. 

of  something  attempted  but  not  accomplished. 
He  was  convinced  that  the  principles  upon  which 
his  father  had  experimented,  in  using  upright  re- 
volving cylinders  provided  at  their  base  with 
knives  like  sickles,  were  radically  defective,  and 
he  proceeded  upon  a  wholly  different  plan  of  con- 
struction, by  operating  upon  the  grain  in  a  mass, 
with  a  horizontal  reciprocating  blade.  The  old 
machine  of  his  father,  therefore,  furnished  him 
no  inductive  trains  of  thought  in  his  work,  while 
it  acted  as  a  warning  of  the  errors  to  avoid,  and 
served  as  an  inspiration  to  success.  The  idea 
that  grain  could  be  cut  by  machinery  possessed 
him  fully,  and  he  believed  there  was  a  way  to  do 
it.  He  continued  to  think  over  and  work  out 
his  idea  in  that  old  homestead.  He  had  never 
been  far  from  home.  He  had  never  heard  of 
any  experiments  in  machinery  for  harvesting 
grain  except  his  father's.  The  pursuit  of  this 
idea  was  opposed  by  his  father,  who  believed  his 
years  would  be  wasted. 

There  are  turning-points  in  every  life,  and 
usually  the  point  which  fixes  itself  in  the  mem- 
ory is  some  minor  incident  ;  though,  in  fact, 
that  which  is  called  the  turning  point  is  not 
usually  a  change  of  direction,  but  an  awaken- 
ing of  consciousness  to  the  possibilities  of  the 
future. 


MEMOIR.  7 

Once,  when  a  young  man,  he  was  riding  on 
horseback  from  his  Virginia  home  to  a  distant 
foundry  in  the  mountains,  with  a  pattern  of  the 
mould-board  of  the  plough  he  had  invented,  and 
which  he  wished  cast  in  iron,  resting  on  his 
horse's  neck,  and,  as  usual,  was  absorbed  with  his 
unsolved  problem  of  the  reaper.  On  the  way 
he  crossed  a  considerable  stream,  and  midway  in 
it  his  horse  paused  to  drink.  Just  then,  as  he 
looked  up,  his  eye  fell  on  a  fertile  tract  of  land 
brightened  by  the  sunshine,  and  the  blended 
thought  of  the  vast  future  of  the  country  in  agri- 
culture, and  the  possibilities  of  his  invention  for 
reaping  grain,  struck  him.  For  a  moment  there 
filled  his  mind  a  dream  of  success  that  seemed  like 
a  fable,  and  which  in  an  instant  he  brushed  aside 
for  the  hard  realities  of  the  present ;  but  in  that 
instant  his  resolution  took  more  solid  form.  Who 
can  tell  how  much  of  the  inspiration  of  his  work 
sprang  from  that  moment  ?  The  fundamental 
principles  of  his  invention  gradually  matured  in 
his  mind.  Then  began  the  work  of  transferring 
these  primal  ideas  into  wood  and  iron.  Here  his 
training  in  the  use  of  tools  came  into  service,  and 
in  a  few  months,  after  repeated  effort  in  combin- 
ing the  relation  of  the  various  parts  with  unfail- 
ing ingenuity  and  patience,  he  finally  produced  a 


8  MEMOIR. 

machine,  fashioning  with  his  own  hands  every 
part  of  it,  both  in  wood  and  iron,  in  his  father's 
workshops.  It  consisted  of,  first,  a  vibrating  blade 
to  cut ;  and,  second,  a  platform  to  receive  the 
falling  grain ;  and,  third,  a  reel  to  bring  the  grain 
within  reach  of  the  blade. 

This  machine,  drawn  by  horses  placed  at  the 
stubble  side  of  the  swath,  was  tested  during  the 
latter  part  of  harvest  in  1831,  in  a  field  of  six 
acres  of  oats,  belonging  to  John  Steele,  situated 
within  a  mile  of  Walnut  Grove.  It  proved  to  be 
a  success.  Its  work  astonished  all  who  witnessed 
it.  Neither  the  young  inventor  nor  any  of  those 
present  seemed  to  have  even  an  idea  of  the  true 
value  of  the  work  that  day  begun,  —  a  work  des- 
tined to  revolutionize  the  whole  method  of  farm- 
ing, and  to  open  up  a  limitless  domain  in  this  land 
for  cereal  productions ;  making  possible  the  boun- 
tiful harvests  that  have  since  that  day  taxed  the 
powers  of  transportation,  and  stimulating  the  con- 
struction of  a  network  of  railroads  equal  to  that 
of  all  the  world  beside  ;  as  well  as  wonderfully 
enlarging  the  cultivation  of  wheat  elsewhere 
throughout  the  world. 

A  short  time  after  the  first  trial  of  the  reaper, 
Mr.  McCormick  entered  into  a  partnership  for 
the  smelting  of  iron  ore.     But  the  panic  of  1837, 


MEMOIR.  9 

by  reducing  the  price  of  iron,  brought  financial 
ruin  to  the  enterprise.  With  dauntless  courage 
and  unflinching  fidelity  to  creditors,  by  the  united 
and  mutual  effort  and  industry  of  all  his  family, 
they  paid  all  the  debts  of  the  firm,  though  greatly 
taxing  the  resources  of  the  family ;  and  he,  losing 
the  farm  his  father  gave  him,  sacrificed  everything 
but  integrity. 

Disappointed  but  not  discouraged,  he  turned 
his  thoughts  to  the  reaper,  and  resolved  to  devote 
himself  to  its  improvement  and  introduction  into 
general  use.  With  very  restricted  facilities  on 
the  farm  in  Virginia  for  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  the  reapers,  he  still  worked  on  there,  im- 
proving his  invention  during  the  brief  period  of 
harvest.  Soon  he  realized  that  the  young  West 
was  the  field  on  which  he  might  hope  for  the 
accomplishment  of  greater  results,  and  so  in  1846 
he  removed  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  then  a  western 
town,  and  prepared  to  build  the  reapers ;  for  by 
that  time  it  was  well  understood  that  a  success- 
ful machine  had  been  invented  for  cutting  grain 
by  horse-power.  During  all  these  years,  while 
battling  with  the  discouragements  always  accom- 
panying the  efforts  to  introduce  any  new  machine, 
Mr.  McCormick  managed  to  add  improvement  to 
improvement,  a  work  which  he  kept  up  during 
his  whole  life. 


lO  MEMOIR. 

In  1845-47  Mr.  McCormick  secured  additional 
patents  for  improvements,  which  greatly  added  to 
the  value  of  the  machine,  and  quickened  the  de- 
mand for  it. 

The  superior  advantages  of  Chicago,  as  the  nat- 
ural metropolis  of  an  unlimited  grain -producing 
country,  soon  attracted  Mr.  McCormick's  obser- 
vation, and  thither  he  removed  in  1847.  During 
the  following  year  he  there  erected  substantial 
reaper  works,  and  built  seven  hundred  machines, 
increasing  the  number  in  1849  to  fifteen  hundred. 
This  was  an  enormous  undertaking  for  those  days. 
In  the  absence  of  the  improved  iron  and  wood- 
working machinery  of  the  present  day,  and  with 
the  primitive  means  of  transportation  existing 
throughout  the  west,  where  there  were  scarcely 
any  railroads,  more  ability  was  required  then  to 
found  and  foster  this  industry  than  now  to  carry 
it  on  in  its  vastly  extended  proportions.  But  Mr. 
McCormick  was  a  thorough  business  man,  and  in 
addition  possessed  a  spirit  of  resistless  energy 
and  enterprise  that  faced  every  obstacle  and 
yielded  to  no  antagonism. 

In  1845  Mr.  McCormick  arranged  with  a  firm 
in  Brockport,  N.  Y.,  to  build  his  machine  on  a 
royalty,  with  a  view  to  its  introduction  into  Cen- 
tral New  York,  then  one  of  the  best  wheat  sec- 
tions in  the  country. 


MEMOIR.  1 1 

After  the  success  of  the  reaper  was  assured  at 
home,  Mr.  McCormick  spent  some  time  abroad, 
bringing  his  machine  to  the  notice  of  European 
agriculturists.  In  185 1  he  attended  the  World's 
Fair  in  London,  where  his  machine  was  first 
brought  before  the  British  public.  During  the 
early  weeks  of  the  exhibition,  the  reaper  was  the 
subject  of  some  ridicule  on  the  part  of  those  who 
knew  nothing  of  its  character  and  capabilities. 
Even  the  "  London  Times "  called  it  "  a  cross 
between  an  Astley  chariot,  a  wheelbarrow,  and  a 
flying  machine."  A  few  weeks  later,  however, 
when  the  American  reaper  was  practically  tested 
in  the  English  harvest  fields,  ridicule  was  turned 
to  admiration,  and  indifference  to  widespread  en- 
thusiasm. 

After  prolonged  tests,  and  when  the  Great 
Council  medal  was  awarded  its  inventor  on  the 
ground  "  of  the  originality  and  value  of  the  reap- 
er," this  same  journal  made  honorable  haste  to 
correct  its  error,  and  frankly  admitted  that  the 
McCormick  reaper  was  equal  in  value  to  the 
entire  cost  of  the  exhibition.  Then,  indeed,  favors 
were  showered  on  the  inventor.  He  was  prom- 
inently recognized,  and  his  acquaintance  was 
sought.  From  this  point  his  fame  grew  rapidly, 
and  yet  he  was  as  one  who   knew  it  not.     With 


1 2  MEMOIR. 

his  changed  status  in  the  world,  his  heart  did  not 
change.  His  opportunities  were  enlarged,  and 
he  was  quick  to  enlarge  his  knowledge,  and  im- 
prove by  contact  with  the  world  of  educated  men. 
But  his  modest,  unostentatious  nature  was  not 
made  proud  by  elevation .  nor  hardened  by  suc- 
cess. 

At  the  Universal  Exposition  at  Paris  of  1855 
Mr.  McCormick  was  awarded  the  Grand  Prize 
for  the  invention  of  the  reaper,  which  was  "  the 
type  and  pattern  of  all  other  reaping  machines  of 
the  present  day."  In  1867  he  exhibited  his  ma- 
chine at  the  exposition  held  at  Paris,  for  which  he 
again  received  the  Grand  Prize,  and  was  then 
decorated  by  the  Emperor  with  the  Cross  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor  for  his  valuable  and  successful 
invention. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  a  life  of  such  persis- 
tent and  successful  effort  as  Mr.  McCormick's 
should  have  been  one  of  continued  battle.  In 
this  it  resembled  that  of  every  man  who  en- 
deavors to  supersede  the  old  methods.  In  es- 
tablishing his  enterprise  he  found  himself  sur- 
rounded with  obstacles  well  nigh  insurmountable, 
—  isolation  from  centres  of  communication  and 
trade,  insufficient  capital,  ignorant  prejudices  of 
the  laboring  classes,  refusal  of  Congress  to  grant 


MEMOIR.  1 3 

him  a  just  and  deserved  patent  protection,  and 
the  combined  opposition  of  all  other  interests 
similar  to  his  own.  Had  he  not  been  gifted  with 
indomitable  will,  invincible  courage,  and  unfalter- 
ing confidence  in  the  value  of  his  invention,  he 
must  have  succumbed  to  the  pressure  of  adverse 
circumstances.  Instead  of  this,  year  by  year 
found  him  advanced  upon  the  path  of  progress, 
and  the  world  bestowed  upon  him  honors  and 
grateful  testimonials. 

At  the  same  time  that  this  temporal  good  to 
humanity  was  assuming  its  w^orld-wide  propor- 
tions, —  reaching  to  the  distant  peninsula  of 
South  America,  the  shores  of  New  Zealand  and 
Australia,  the  "  pleasant  land "  of  France,  the 
plains  of  Russia,  and  the  nearer  shores  of  Europe 
and  Great  Britain,  —  a  greater  but  companion 
work  of  helping  Christ's  poor  brethren,  of  the 
instruction  of  souls  by  the  proclaiming  of  Christ's 
gospel,  of  shielding  and  defending  the  work  of 
Christ's  spiritual  kingdom  on  earth,  was  taken  up 
in  the  endowment  of  the  Presbyterian  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

It  was  at  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  held  in  the  city  of 
Indianapolis  in  1859,  that  Mr.  McCormick  pre- 
sented a  proposition  to  endow  the  professorships, 


14  MEMOIR. 

on  condition  that  the  seminary  be  located  in 
Chicago.  Its  influence  in  promoting  the  cause  of 
Christianity  throughout  the  great  Northwest  is 
of  incalculable  value.  To  this  original  endow- 
ment he  has  at  subsequent  times  added,  as  the 
necessities  of  the  institution  demanded.  This 
beneficence  has  placed  the  seminary  on  a  sure 
and  permanent  basis.  Dr.  Johnson  has  impres- 
sively said,  "  How  beautiful  was  the  providence 
that  permitted  Mr.  McCormick,  just  before  the 
close  of  his  earthly  life,  to  see  so  rich  a  fruitage 
from  that  sowing.  I  remember  well  the  evening, 
only  a  little  while  ago,  when  fifty-nine  students 
of  the  seminary  and  a  corps  of  professors,  and 
a  circle  of  friends  gathered  here  where  we  are 
gathered  to-day,  and  he  sat  in  the  midst  of  the 
joyful  company,  his  heart  full  of  intense  emo- 
tion, and  every  feature  of  his  face  expressive  of 
gratitude  to  God  for  the  privilege  that  had  been 
vouchsafed  him  in  sharing  so  largely  in  bringing 
all  this  to  pass." 

A  religious  newspaper,  "  The  Interior,"  had 
been  started  in  the  city  of  Chicago  to  represent 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  It  was  struggling  in 
financial  difficulty,  and  its  owners  applied  to  him 
to  purchase  it.  To  promote  the  cause  of  union 
between  the  Old  and  New  schools,  to  aid  in  har- 


MEMOIR.  1 5 

monizing  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  North 
and  South,  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  newly 
established  theological  seminary  in  Chicago,  and 
to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  denomination  gen- 
erally in  the  great  Northwest,  were  among  the 
objects  dear  to  his  heart.  So  when,  in  1S72, 
many  friends  as  well  as  the  owners  of  "  The  In- 
terior," urged  its  purchase  upon  Mr.  McCormick, 
he  willingly  assented,  and  placed  it  upon  such 
foundation  "  that  it  has  grown  to  be  a  mighty 
voice,  expressing  the  convictions,  the  aspirations, 
and  the  hopes  of  a  great  church." 

In  1858  Mr.  McCormick  married  Miss  Nettie 
Fowler,  a  daughter  of  Melzar  Fowler,  Esq.,  of 
Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  and  niece  of  Judge  E 
G.  Merick,  of  Detroit.  This  happy  union  was 
blessed  with  a  family  of  four  sons  and  three 
daughters,  two  of  whom,  a  son  and  a  daughter, 
died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  McCormick  loved  his  native  State  of  Vir- 
ginia with  a  tenderness  that  was  undiminished 
with  the  passage  of  years.  Though  he  was  un- 
able by  reason  of  his  important  duties  in  the 
North  and  West  to  be  there,  except  for  visits  at 
rare  periods,  yet  he  was  loyal  to  her  every  inter- 
est. Her  mountains,  her  valleys,  her  people,  and 
her  institutions  of  learning  were  all  dear  to  him. 


1 6  MEMOIR. 

The  Chicago  fire  of  1871  seriously  crippled 
Mr.  McCormick's  resources,  laying  in  ashes  all 
his  buildings,  just  as  they  were  beginning  to  man- 
ufacture the  supply  of  machines  for  the  next 
harvest.  But  he  was  almost  first  to  go  forward 
with  the  work  of  rebuilding.  The  reaper  works, 
with  every  vestige  of  machinery  and  patterns,  were 
swept  away.  He  was  now  advised  by  many 
friends  to  retire  from  active  business,  but  his  reply 
was  indicative  of  the  man,  "  I  know  of  no  better 
place  for  a  man  to  die,  than  in  the  harness."  And 
so  he  rebuilt  the  reaper  works  on  a  larger  scale 
than  before,  and  lived  to  see  their  capacity  in- 
creased fivefold. 

In  1878  Mr.  McCormick  was  called  to  Paris 
for  the  third  time  to  receive  for  his  reaping  and 
self-binding  machine  a  Grand  Prize  of  the  Expo- 
sition, and  the  rank  of  Officer  in  the  Legion  of 
Honor  was  then  also  conferred  upon  him.  He 
was,  at  that  time,  elected  a  corresponding  mem- 
ber of  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences,  "  as 
having  done  more  for  the  cause  of  agriculture 
than  any  other  living  man."  This  recognition 
of  Mr.  McCormick's  position  as  a  benefactor, 
through  his  invention,  of  the  whole  race,  strik- 
ingly corroborates  the  opinion  of  two  eminent 
American    statesmen,  who   have  left   their  testi- 


MEMOIR.  1 7 

mony  to  the  value  of  the  work  he  accomplished 
for  his  native  land.  In  1859  the  late  Hon.  Rev- 
erdy  Johnson,  in  an  argument  before  the  com- 
missioner of  patents,  from  testimony  taken  in  the 
case,  said  that  "  the  McCormick  reaper  has  al- 
ready contributed  an  annual  income  to  the  whole 
country  of  fifty-five  millions  of  dollars,  at  least, 
which  must  increase  through  all  time."  About 
this  time  Hon.  William  H.  Seward  said,  "  Owing 
to  Mr.  McCormick's  invention,  the  line  of  civili- 
zation moves  westward  thirty  miles  each  year." 
For  what  he  accomplished  in  lessening  human 
toil,  as  well  as  for  his  instrumentality  in  increas- 
ing the  means  of  Christian  education,  the  world 
recognized  his  worth,  inviting  him  to  high  places 
of  honor  during  his  life,  and  in  his  death  rever- 
ing and  honoring  his  memory. 

In  1878,  while  at  the  Paris  Exposition,  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick suffered  from  a  dangerous  carbuncle  on 
his  neck,  which  necessitated  the  severest  surgical 
operations,  which  he  bore  without  the  use  of  an- 
aesthetics. This  heroic  treatment  saved  his  life, 
and  unusual  vigor  of  constitution  and  the  tender- 
est  care  enabled  him  to  rally  from  this  serious 
illness,  after  a  slow  convalescence  of  five  months. 

During  the  next  four  years,  changes  of  resi- 
dence  in  search  of  climate  suited   to   his  condi- 


1 8  MEMOIR. 

tion  gave  him  comparative  comfort.  While  these 
bodily  infirmities  were  increasing,  confining  him 
largely  to  a  rolling  chair,  so  contrary  to  his  former 
active  habits,  his  mental  strength  remained  un- 
impaired. Though  prevented  from  moving  about 
in  the  circles  of  business,  there  was  no  limit  to 
the  activity  of  his  mind,  and  his  interest  in  every- 
thing relating  to  business  or  social  life,  domestic 
or  foreign  progress,  current  events  of  political 
or  national  importance,  was  keen  and  unabated. 
While  confined  largely  to  the  house  the  last  years 
of  his  life,  his  home  itself  became  a  business 
centre.  Thither  came  men  from  many  and  varied 
enterprises  and  industries,  and  none  left  him  with- 
out having  their  high  impulses  and  aims  strength- 
ened by  his  counsel  and  noble  example.  Here, 
dictating  to  his  private  secretary,  following  with 
close  and  discriminating  attention  the  current 
events  in  the  world's  progress,  as  the  daily  jour- 
nals would  be  read  to  him,  his  mental  energies 
found  their  congenial  occupation.  He  maintained, 
to  the  last,  personal  knowledge  and  control  of  his 
business,  and  no  important  decision,  either  in  the 
management  and  extension  of  this  great  industry, 
or  in  the  protection  of  its  legal  interests,  was  made 
without  personal  consultation  with  and  direction 
from  him  as  its  head. 


MEMOIR.  19 

On  the  2 2d  of  April,  there  were  gathered  in 
Mr.  McCormick's  private  room  some  of  the  heads 
of  the  departments  of  the  McCormick  Harvesting 
Machine  Company,  and  one  of  his  lawyers,  Robert 
H.  Parkinson,  Esq.,  to  consult  upon  important 
questions.  The  vigor  and  acumen  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick's intellect  in  handling  these  questions 
deeply  impressed  them  all,  and,  referring  to  this 
occasion,  Mr.  Parkinson  has  since  written  :  "  I 
want  to  tell  you  what  a  touching  and  profound 
impression  I  brought  away  from  the  interview  I 
had  with  him  not  many  days  before  he  passed 
away.  Though  struggling  with  the  infirmities 
of  age,  he  took  on  a  kind  of  majesty  which  be- 
longed alone  to  the  combination  of  great  mental 
and  great  moral  strength,  and  surprised  me  by 
the  power  with  which  he  grappled  the  matters 
under  discussion,  and  the  strong  personality  be- 
fore which  obstacles  went  down  as  swiftly  and 
inevitably  as  grain  before  the  knife  of  his  ma- 
chines. I  shall  continue  to  treasure  that  inter- 
view in  my  memory  with  grateful  appreciation, 
hallowed  by  the  feeling  that  his  luminous  dis- 
course was  in  some  sense  a  valedictory  to  busi- 
ness affairs,  spoken  from  the  threshold  of  eter- 
nity. I  think  myself  fortunate  in  having  had  this 
glimpse  of  him,  and  in  being  able  to  remember 


20  MEMOIR. 

with  so  much  of  personal  association  a  hfe  so 
complete  in  its  achievements,  so  far-reaching  in 
its  impress,  alike  upon  the  material,  moral,  and 
religious  progress  of  the  country,  and  so  thor- 
oughly successful  and  beneficial  in  every  depart- 
ment of  activity  and  influence  which  it  entered." 

Mr.  McCormick's  last  illness  began  Wednes- 
day, April  30th,  from  which  he  partially  rallied 
Saturday,  May  3d,  and  continued  to  improve 
until  Wednesday,  May  7th,  when  it  became  evi- 
dent that  a  relapse  was  imminent,  and  his  ner- 
vous strength  again  began  to  fail.  Not,  however, 
until  Sunday  morning,  the  nth,  did  the  phy- 
sicians pronounce  his  case  hopeless,  nor  was  it 
before  this  apparent  to  those  who  watched  by 
his  bedside  that  he  would  not  again  rally  from 
this  illness,  as  he  had  done  from  other  attacks. 
But  the  powerful  constitution  which  had  carried 
him  through  so  many  critical  struggles  for  life 
was  exhausted,  and  was  at  last  forced  to  yield. 
On  the  morning  of  Sunday,  the  nth,  at  six 
o'clock,  the  members  of  the  family  enjoyed  the 
last  moments  of  his  perfectly  conscious  mental 
vigor.  He  seemed  to  realize  that  his  work  on 
earth  was  done.  Taking  the  hand  of  each  of  his 
children,  he  murmured,  "  Dear  one,"  —  then  look- 
ing at  all  of  them,  he  said,  "  My  dear  children, 


MEMOIR.  2 1 

my  sweet  children."  Finally,  taking  the  hand  of 
his  wife,  he  said,  fervently,  "  Dearest  of  all  —  and 
dearest  to  all." 

One  of  those  near  him  said,  "  Do  you  wish 
anything  }  "  With  great  eagerness  he  replied,  "  I 
want  nothing  now  but  heaven  —  heaven  before." 
In  answer  to  other  questions,  he  repeated  several 
times,  confidently,  and  with  great  firmness,  "  All 
right ;  all  right,"  and  again,  "  All  peace."  When 
asked  by  a  friend,  who  came  in,  how  he  was  feel- 
ing, he  answered,  "  Sweetly."  On  hearing  it  said 
that  it  was  Sunday,  and  a  beautiful  day,  he  an- 
swered, "  Yes,  sweet  Sabbath."  He  knew  eternity 
was  just  before  him,  and,  knowing  this,  he  was 
able  to  be  joyful. 

He  seemed  to  wish  his  family  close  about  his 
bed,  and  his  wife  said  to  him,  "  My  dear  husband, 
we  are  all  here,  —  shall  we  have  a  prayer  ?  "  To 
this  he  fervently  answered,  "  Oh,  yes,"  and,  clos- 
ing his  eyes,  while  his  family  knelt  at  his  side, 
with  unfaltering  voice  he  led  the  last  religious 
service  as  the  head  of  his  family,  and  made  a 
wonderful  prayer,  —  wonderful,  as  being  the  pe- 
tition of  a  soul  on  the  verge  of  eternity,  —  re- 
markable for  its  completeness  and  strength,  and 
showing  the  supremacy  of  his  great  intellect  over 
nature  in  dissolution.    But  its  most  marked  feature 


2  2  MEMOIR. 

was  that  it  was  so  tender,  so  submissive.  For  the 
last  time  he  lifted  up  his  voice  in  prayer,  and  with 
intellect  clear  and  strong,  he  commended  himself 
and  his  dear  ones  to  God.  It  was  like  his  cus- 
tomary prayers  in  life,  deepened  and  made  thrill- 
ing by  the  time  and  place,  —  and  ended  with 
"  We  beseech  Thee  for  the  forgiveness  of  our 
sins  ;  cause  Thy  face  to  shine  upon  us,  lift  up 
Thy  countenance  upon  us,  and  be  gracious  unto 
us,  for  the  Redeemer's  sake.  Amen  ;  "  and  then 
he  added,  as  if  in  thought,  "  That  name,  that 
name,  for  yesus  sake.  Amen,  amen."  One  of 
the  children  then  asked  him  if  they  should  sing 
his  hymn,  and  he  began,  with  voice  clear  and 
strong,  to  sing  the  words  of  his  favorite  hymn, 
which  during  all  his  life  he  had  loved  to  sing  at 
family  worship :  — 

"  O  Thou,  in  whose  presence  my  soul  takes  delight, 
On  whom  in  affliction  I  call. 
My  comfort  by  day,  and  my  song  in  the  night, 
My  hope,  my  salvation,  my  all." 

In  the  first  verse  he  sang  the  air,  but  in  the 
second  he  took  up  a  peculiar  part,  which  in  his 
youth  he  had  learned  in  New  Providence  Church, 
Virginia,  and  which  in  those  days  they  called 
"  the  treble."     As  the   hymn   was   ended,  he   re- 


MEMOIR.  23 

peated,  singing  over  again  the  last  line  of  the  sec- 
ond verse :  — 

"  Or    alone  in   the  wilderness  rove," 
changing  the   final   word   as   he  sang  it  for  the 
last  time,  — 

"  Or  alone   in  the  wilderness  rest.^'' 
Oh,    how  sweet  that  prospect  of  rest  seemed  to 
him  ! 

In  the  afternoon  he  had  a  few  lucid  moments, 
though  after  the  early  morning  hour  he  was  not 
so  fully  conscious.  During  one  of  these  inter- 
vals he  repeated  several  times,  "  Christ,  our  Spir- 
itual Head." 

Sunday  night,  the  attendant  physician  gave 
him  medicine,  and  wishing  to  take  this  oppor- 
tunity of  giving  also  some  nourishment,  then  said, 
"  Now  you  have  done  your  work,  you  shall  have 
a  little  food."  Quickly  he  answered,  "  Yes,  work, 
work,"  with  an  emphasis  that  gave  it  the  impor- 
tance of  a  last  message. 

During  Monday  he  was  without  pain,  and  un- 
conscious of  the  tender  care  of  those  around  him. 
The  morning  of  May  13th  dawned,  gray  with 
misty  light,  "  soft  with  early  showers,"  and,  sur- 
rounded by  those  whom  he  held  in  life  most  dear, 
he  passed  from  suffering  to  joy;  from  toil  to  rest; 
from  death  to  immortal  life. 


jFuneral  ^txWts. 


FUNERAL   SERVICES. 


The  funeral  of  Cyrus  Hall  McCormick  was 
held  at  his  residence,  135  Rush  Street,  Chicago, 
on  Thursday,  May  15th,  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  The  day  was  perfect,  and  long  before 
the  hour  appointed  a  great  number  of  people 
had  gathered  at  the  house. 

Just  before  two  o'clock  the  coffin  was  placed 
in  the  centre  of  the  main  hall,  followed  by  the 
pall-bearers. 

Near  the  head  of  the  coffin  the  employees  of 
the  reaper  works  had  placed  a  symbol,  most 
expressive  of  their  sense  of  the  loss  sustained,  — 
a  reaping  machine,  in  white  flowers,  having  the 
main  wheel  broken  ;  and  the  gentlemen  employed 
in  the  office  of  the  reaper  company,  in  token  of 
their  tender  regard,  placed  there  a  sheaf  of  ripened 
wheat,  surmounted  by  a  crown  of  lilies. 

The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by  the 
professors  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest.     Addresses  were  made  by 


2  8  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

Rev.  Dr.  Herrick  Johnson,  Rev.  Dr.  L.  J.  Hal- 
sey,  and  Rev.  Dr.  D.  C.  Marquis.  The  opening 
prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skin- 
ner, and  the  closing  prayer  by  Rev.  Dr.  WilHs  G. 
Craig. 

The  pall-bearers  were :  — 

Charles  A.  Spring,  Jr.  John  N.  Jewett. 

William  C.   Gray.  William  C.  Goudy. 

Mark  Skinner.  Charles  S.  Carrington. 

Henry  W.  King.  Thomas  Drummond, 

Horace  A.   Hurlbut.  Joseph  Medill. 

Ralph  N.   Isham.  Murray  F,  Tuley. 

The  members  of  the  family  present  were  :  — 
Mrs.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick,  Jr.,  Miss  M.  Virginia  McCormick,  Miss 
Anita  E.  McCormick,  Master  Harold  F.  McCor- 
mick, Master  Stanley  R.  McCormick,  Mrs.  James 
Shields,  Mrs.  Hugh  Adams,  Hon.  E.  G.  Merick, 
Eldridge  M.  Fowler,  Mrs.  E.  J.  Carrington,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  R.  Hall  McCormick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rob- 
ert S.  McCormick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  G.  Mc- 
Cormick, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  H.  Smith,  Jr.,  Miss 
Lucy  McCormick,  Edward  T.  Blair,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
James  H.  Shields,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cyrus  H.  Adams, 
Mrs.  John  E.  Chapman,  James  W.  Adams,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  H.  L.  Adams,  Miss  Ella  Adams,  Ed- 
ward S.  Adams,  Miss  Minnie  Adams. 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  29 


THE   SERVICES. 


HYMN. 

My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee, 
Thou  Lamb  of  Calvary, 

Saviour  divine  ! 
Now  hear  me  while  I  pray; 
Take  all  my  guilt  away  ; 
Oh,  let  me,  from  this  day, 

Be  wholly  thine. 

While  life's  dark  maze  I  tread. 
And  griefs  around  me  spread, 

Be  Thou  my  Guide  ; 
Bid  darkness  turn  to  day. 
Wipe  sorrow's  tear  away. 
Nor  let  me  ever  stray 

From  Thee  aside. 

When  ends  life's  transient  dream, 
When  death's  cold,  sullen  stream 

Shall  o'er  me  roll, 
Blest  Saviour,  then  in  love 
Fear  and  distress  remove  ; 
Oh,  bear  me  safe  above,  — 

A  ransomed  soul ! 


30  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Skinner  then  offered  prayer  as 
follows  :  — 

O  God,  be  with  us  at  this  hour.  May  the  words 
of  our  mouths  and  the  meditations  of  our  hearts 
be  acceptable  in  Thy  sight,  O  Lord,  our  strength 
and  our  Redeemer.  We  have  gathered  here  to- 
day to  pay  this  last  sympathetic  tribute  of  regard 
and  honor  to  Thy  departed  servant,  and  then  we 
shall  carry  him  to  his  own  grave,  which  Thou  wilt 
mark  and  guard  by  Thine  angels  until  the  trump 
of  the  resurrection  shall  bid  us  arise  in  the  like- 
ness of  the  eternal  Son  of  God.  Oh  be  with  us  by 
Thy  Holy  Spirit.  May  that  blessed  Spirit  hover 
over  our  heads  as  He  was  over  the  head  of  the 
Lord  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  and  make  this 
hour  a  benediction  to  this  afflicted  famil}^  and  a 
benediction  to  all  of  us  who  have  come  to  share 
their  grief 

Our  Father  in  heaven.  Thou  didst  give  Thy 
Son  to  have  light  in  himself,  and  from  all  eter- 
nity He  did  live,  and  then  was  dead,  and  then, 
and  now,  is  alive  again.  We  adore  Thee  for  the 
gift  of  Him  who  is  the  Light,  who  is  the  resur- 
rection and  the  Life  for  His  disciples.  We  adore 
Thee  for  the  gift  of  Thy  Son  as  our  Saviour,  by 
the  sacrifice  of  whose  blood  Thy  justice  was  satis- 
fied for  our  sins,  and  by  whose  blood  our  sins  are 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  3 1 

washed  away.  We  desire  to  give  thanks  to  Thee 
this  day  for  the  hope  that  we.  have  concerning 
Thy  servant  departed,  who  long  years  ago  stood 
before  Thy  people  in  the  world  and  avowed  Thee 
to  be  his  God  and  his  Redeemer.  We  adore 
Thee  that  he  never  lost  that  hope.  We  adore 
Thee  that  in  dying  that  hope  cheered  him,  and 
heaven  opened  to  his  face.  Glory  to  God  for  a 
Christian  life,  and  glory  to  God  for  a  Christian's 
death !  We  therefore  commit  him,  his  remains 
and  his  memory,  to  Thy  keeping,  blessed  Lord. 
We  shall  see  him  again.  We  shall  meet  him  by 
and  by.  Oh  that  we  might  tread  the  same  pil- 
grimage, and  reach  at  last  the  bosom  of  our  Lord 
and  Master,  there  where  the  wicked  cease  from 
troubling,  and  where  the  weary  are  at  rest. 

And  now  we  desire  to  commend  unto  Thee 
this  stricken  family.  Lord  God,  thou  Incarnate 
One,  who,  bending  over  the  grave  of  Lazarus 
in  death,  didst  weep,  weep  with  us,  O  Son  of 
man,  for  our  brother  departed,  and  make  this  so 
tender,  so  precious  an  hour,  that  we  shall  feel 
that  Thou  shalt  go  with  us,  and  dost  go  with  us 
when  we  go  away  from  this  house  of  mourning. 
Bless  Thy  handmaid,  the  companion  for  so  many 
years  of  Thy  departed  servant,  bound  together  by 
the  tie  which  only  death  can  break.     Bless   her ; 


32  FUNERAL  SERVICES. 

give  unto  her  Thy  quickening  grace,  and  love 
blessed  Lord.  Sustain  her  in  her  deep  solitude. 
Guide  her  in  the  cares  and  duties  that  shall  rest 
upon  her  when  she  shall  have  laid  her  dead  in 
the  grave,  and  give  her  grace  to  the  very  last  to 
turn  to  the  eternal  God,  her  Saviour  in  all  things. 
And  may  these  her  children  be  blessed  as  dwell- 
ing with  her  in  this  house,  and  may  they  give  her 
their  support,  their  sympathy,  their  obedience,  and 
their  love,  and  may  the  family  be  a  happy  family 
until  death  do  them  all  sever.  May  they  be  a 
holy  family;  may  every  one  of  them  know  Him 
whom  to  know  is  life  eternal.  Let  not  one  be 
left  out,  but  all  be  bound  together  in  the  bond  of 
life  eternal  with  the  Lord  Jesus.  And  so  com- 
mand thy  blessing  upon  all  the  kindred,  the  large 
circle  of  natural  kinship.  God  be  with  them  all. 
May  this  death  be  life  to  every  one  of  them. 

O  God,  what  a  life  it  is  we  live !  We  come, 
we  stay,  we  go.  Ages  have  preceded  us,  ages 
will  follow,  and  our  life  is  but  a  hand's  breadth  in 
this  vast  interval.  God  grant  that  all  of  us  gath- 
ered here  to-day  may  so  spend  this  little  span  as 
that  when  we  die  we  shall  be  buried  with  a  Chris- 
tian  burial  in  the  hope  of  a  blessed  resurrection. 

Command  Thy  benediction  upon  that  portion 
of  the  family  who  have  just  crossed  the  great  deep. 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  33 

and  when  they  shall  know  and  meditate  on  this 
event,  quicken  their  souls  by  Thy  good  spirit,  and 
let  this  death  be  a  benediction  to  their  souls.  We 
commend  to  Thee  all  who  were  associated  in  in- 
dustry and  work  with  Thy  servant,  all  that  were 
employed  by  him  in  his  great  earthly  mission. 
God  bless  them,  wherever  they  may  be.  Bless 
those  that  may  be  here.  Bless  all  of  us  without 
one  exception,  and  grant  us  Thy  presence  now, 
through  Jesus  Christ.     Amen. 

SCRIPTURE   LESSONS. 

God  is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present 
help  in  time  of  trouble.  Therefore  will  not  we 
fear,  though  the  earth  be  removed,  and  though 
the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the 
sea ;  though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be 
troubled,  though  the  mountains  shake  with  the 
swelling  thereof.  Selah.  For  in  the  time  of 
trouble  he  shall  hide  me  in  his  pavilion  :  in  the 
secret  of  his  tabernacle  shall  he  hide  me  ;  he 
shall  set  me  upon  a  rock.  Yea,  though  I  walk 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will 
fear  no  evil :  for  thou  art  with  me ;  thy  rod  and 
thy  staff  they  comfort  me. 

For  we  know  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this 
tabernacle  were  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of 

5 


34  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

God,  an  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in 
the  heavens.  O  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of 
the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God !  how  un- 
searchable are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past 
finding  out !  For  of  him,  and  through  him,  and 
to  him,  are  all  things  :  to  whom  be  glory  forever. 
Amen. 

For  a  thousand  years  in  thy  sight  are  but  as 
yesterday  when  it  is  passed,  and  as  a  watch  in  the 
night.  The  days  of  our  years  are  three  score 
years  and  ten ;  and  if  by  reason  of  strength  they 
be  four  score  years,  yet  is  their  strength  labor 
and  sorrow ;  for  it  is  soon  cut  off,  and  we  fly 
away.  Lord,  make  me  to  know  mine  end,  and 
the  measure  of  my  days,  what  it  is ;  that  I  may 
know  how  frail  I  am.  Behold,  thou  hast  made 
my  days  as  a  hand  breadth,  and  mine  age  is  as 
nothing  before  thee  ;  verily  every  man  at  his  best 
state  is  altogether  vanity.     Selah. 

The  voice  said.  Cry.  And  he  said.  What  shall 
I  cry .?  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  goodliness 
thereof  is  as  the  flower  of  the  field  :  they  are  like 
grass  which  groweth  up.  In  the  morning  it 
flourisheth,  and  groweth  up  ;  in  the  evening  it  is 
cut  down  and  withereth.  The  Lord  gave,  and 
the  Lord  hath  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the  name 
of  the  Lord. 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  35 

Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the  resurrection,  and 
the  life :  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were 
dead,  yet  shall  he  live  :  and  whosoever  liveth  and 
believeth  in  me  shall  never  die.  Believest  thou 
this  ? 

For  since  by  man  came  death,  by  man  came 
also  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  For  as  in 
Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive.  But  some  man  will  say.  How  are  the  dead 
raised  up  ?  and  with  what  body  do  they  come  1 
Thou  fool,  that  which  thou  sowest  is  not  quick- 
ened, except  it  die :  and  that  which  thou  sowest, 
thou  sowest  not  that  body  that  shall  be,  but 
bare  grain,  it  may  chance  of  wheat,  or  of  some 
other  grain :  but  God  giveth  it  a  body  as  it  hath 
pleased  him,  and  to  every  seed  his  own  body.  It 
is  sown  in  corruption :  it  is  raised  in  incorrup- 
tion :  it  is  sown  in  dishonor  :  it  is  raised  in 
glory :  it  is  sown  in  weakness :  it  is  raised  in 
power.  Behold,  I  show  you  a  mystery:  We 
shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changed, 
in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the 
last  trump :  for  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the 
dead  shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we  shall 
be  changed.  For  this  corruptible  must  put  on 
incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on  immor- 
tality.    So  when  this  corruptible  shall  have  put 


36  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have  put 
on  immortality,  then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the 
saying  that  is  written,  Death  is  swallowed  up  in 
victory.  O  death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave, 
where  is  thy  victory  ?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin  : 
and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law.  But  thanks 
be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant, 
brethren,  concerning  them  which  are  asleep,  that 
ye  sorrow  not,  even  as  others  which  have  no 
hope.  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose 
again,  even  so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus 
will  God  bring  with  him.  For  the  Lord  himself 
shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of 
God :  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first ;  then 
we  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up 
together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the 
Lord  in  the  air  :  and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with 
the  Lord.  Wherefore  comfort  one  another  with 
these  words. 

And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto 
me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the 
Lord  from  henceforth.  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit, 
that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors :  and  their 
works    do  follow  them.     They  shall  hunger   no 


FUNERAL  SERVICES.  37 

more,  neither  thirst  any  more :  neither  shall  the 
sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For  the  Lamb 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed 
them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living  fountains 
of  waters :  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes.  And  there  shall  be  no  more 
curse  :  but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb 
shall  be  in  it ;  and  his  servants  shall  serve  him : 
and  they  shall  see  his  face  :  and  his  name  shall  be 
in  their  foreheads.  And  there  shall  be  no  night 
there  :  and  they  need  no  candle,  neither  light  of 
the  sun ;  for  the  Lord  God  giveth  them  light ; 
and  they  shall  reign  forever  and  ever. 

Now  the  God  of  peace,  that  brought  again 
from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  great  shep- 
herd of  the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  ever- 
lasting covenant,  make  you  perfect  in  every  good 
work  to  do  his  will,  working  in  you  that  which  is 
well  pleasing  in  his  sight,  through  Jesus  Christ ; 
to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever.     Amen. 

HYMN. 

How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  his  excellent  word  ; 
What  more  can  He  say  than  to  you  He  hath  said,  — 
To  you  who  for  refuge  to  Jesus  have  fled  ? 


O 


38  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

"  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee,  oh,  be  not  dismayed. 
For  I  am  thy  God,  I  will  still  give  thee  aid  : 
I  '11  strengthen  thee,  help  thee,  and  cause  thee  to  stand, 
Upheld  by  my  righteous,  omnipotent  hand. 

"  When  through  the  deep  waters  I  cause  thee  to  go. 
The  rivers  of  sorrow  shall  not  overflow ; 
For  I  will  be  with  thee  thy  trials  to  bless, 
And  sanctify  to  thee  thy  deepest  distress. 

"  Ev'n  down  to  old  age  my  people  shall  prove 
My  sovereign,  eternal,  unchangeable  love  ; 
And  then,  when  gray  hairs  shall  their  temples  adorn, 
Like  lambs  they  shall  still  in  my  bosom  be  borne. 

"  The  soul  that  on  Jesus  hath  leaned  for  repose, 
I  will  not  —  I  will  not  desert  to  his  foes  ; 
That  soul  —  though  all  hell  should  endeavor  to  shake, 
I  '11  never  —  no  never  —  no  never  forsake !  " 

The  Rev.  Dr.  L.  J.  Halsey  then  made  the  fol- 
lowing address  :  — 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord, 
from  henceforth,  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they 
may  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do 
follow  them."  How  blessed  are  the  Scriptures  of 
God  to  us  all  to-day,  as  a  comfort  in  distress,  as  a 
consolation  in  sorrow,  as  a  welcome  voice  from 
heaven,  as  a  message  of  peace  to  our  stricken 
hearts   from   our   ascended   glorified    Redeemer. 


FUNERAL  SERVICES.  39 

And  how  is  this  Scripture  of  the  blessed  dead 
who  die  in  the  Lord,  and  rest  from  their  labors, 
exemplified  and  fulfilled  in  the  remarkable  career, 
the  successful  work,  the  peaceful  end,  the  rounded 
and  finished  life  of  this  servant  of  God,  our  friend 
and  brother,  who  is  now  called  from  earth  to  that 
higher  and  better  world !  He  is  indeed  gone 
from  us,  but  his  memorial  lives,  his  record  is  on 
high.  His  life  here  is  ended,  but  his  influence 
abides,  and  his  works  do  follow  him.  In  view  of 
such  a  life,  so  full  of  useful  work,  such  a  charac- 
ter, so  rounded  and  complete,  and  such  a  peace- 
ful, happy  death  in  Christ,  we  may  well  feel  the 
nearness  of  heaven,  and  with  it  the  divinity  of 
that  holy  religion  and  the  preciousness  of  that 
Gospel,  which  this  servant  of  God  professed. 
From  his  early  youth,  and  through  his  long  and 
active  career,  he  has  been  a  consistent,  faithful 
member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  in  the 
strength  of  those  convictions  of  truth  and  duty 
which  were  inspired  by  the  Word  of  God,  he 
was  enabled  to  go  forward  to  the  end  —  even 
until  he  fully  finished  the  great  life-work  God  had 
given  him  to  do.  Truly  may  we  say,  God  gave 
him  length  of  days  and  he  filled  them  up  with 
works  of  usefulness. 

Whilst,  therefore,  we  are  all  deeply  sensible  of 


40  FUNERAL  SERVICES. 

the  heavy  bereavement  and  sorrow  which  such  a 
death  has  brought  upon  this  Christian  household 
—  taking  from  them  the  beloved  husband  and 
father  and  friend,  who  had  been  their  head  and 
stay  so  long — -whilst  our  warmest  sympathies 
are  awakened  for  them,  and  our  tears  of  sadness 
flow  mingling  with  theirs  in  this  great  loss,  we 
must,  nevertheless,  feel  that  God  has  ordered  all 
things  in  wisdom  and  love.  The  prominent  feel- 
ing in  our  hearts  to-day  is,  that  this  was  a  well- 
directed  and  finished  service  —  that  this  was  a  life 
spent  in  God's  fear,  and  a  character  moulded  on  the 
principles  of  God's  Word  ;  that  our  loss  here  is 
his  eternal  gain,  and  that  this  friend  and  brother, 
whom  we  have  known  as  a  faithful  servant  of  the 
Church  of  God,  a  most  prominent  member  of  this 
whole  community,  has  now  but  completed  his 
course,ikept  the  faith,  and  ascended  to  his  reward. 
It  is  not  often  that  God  gives  to  his  children  here 
the  opportunity  and  the  honor  of  doing  so  large 
a  service  for  the  church  and  for  the  public  good, 
and  of  doing  it  so  well.  Having  served  his  gen- 
eration by  the  will  of  God,  he  at  last  rests  from 
his  labors.  But  his  works  and  his  influence  do 
follow  him. 

In    many    respects    Mr.    McCormick    may   be 
called   a  representative   man.     Among  the  busi- 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  4 1 

ness  men  of  this  growing  city,  where  he  so  long 
lived,    he  was    a   representative    man,    identified 
fully  with  its  business  life,  its  industrial  activities, 
its  great  manufacturing  interests.     In  these  rela- 
tions, probably  no  one  of  our  citizens  was  more 
widely  known  and  honored   abroad.     He  was  a 
representative   man  of  the   Presbyterian   Church, 
of  which    he   was   through    life    a  member,  and 
whose  welfare   he  labored    so    fervently   to   pro- 
mote ;  and  not  only  of  his  own  particular  church, 
but  of  the  whole   Presbyterian  and   Evangelical 
family  of  churches  throughout  the  land,  in  all  of 
which  he   felt  a  Christian  and  patriotic  interest. 
A  representative  man,  too,  we  may  truly  say  he 
was,  of  this   whole  generation   in  which  he  has 
lived   and   toiled.     Scarcely  any  man  in  our  day 
has  perhaps  done  more  to  increase  its  wealth  and 
its  agricultural  resources,  and  thus  to  stamp  his 
memory  on  the  living  of  his  own  time  and  on 
the  works  of  those  who  shall  come  after  him. 

It  would  not  be  appropriate  now  to  point  out 
all  the  aspects  of  his  remarkable  career  as  a  man, 
a  citizen,  a  public  benefactor,  a  world-renowned  in- 
ventor, and  to  tell  of  the  influence  for  good  which 
has  gone  forth  from  his  life-work  in  these  different 
channels.  I  may  but  barely  allude  to  these  wider 
and  more  general  characteristics  and  public  ser- 


42  FUNERAL   SERVICES.  . 

vices.  Let  me  come  to  a  nearer  view  of  his 
work  for  the  church,  and  restrict  my  remarks  to- 
day especially  to  that  one  important  work  of  his 
life  with  which  in  the  good  providence  of  God  it 
has  been  my  privilege  to  stand  somewhat  inti- 
mately associated  with  him  for  the  last  twenty- 
five  years.  I  refer  to  the  work  he  inaugurated 
in  this  city  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  in  laying 
the  permanent  foundation  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  for  the  training  of 
young  men  for  the  Gospel  ministry.  With  that 
remarkable  sagacity  which  ever  distinguished  all 
his  business  transactions,  he  had  perceived,  sev- 
eral decades  earlier,  that  this  young  and  growing 
city,  of  what  was  then  the  Northwest,  was  of  all 
places  in  the  country  the  best  suited  to  his  pur- 
pose for  the  permanent  establishment  of  the  great 
reaper  works.  And  what  sagacity  did  it  augur 
in  the  man,  that  at  a  time  comparatively  early  in 
the  history  of  the  city,  and  early,  too,  in  the  his- 
tory of  his  own  individual  fortune,  he  foresaw 
with  equal  clearness,  that  of  all  localities  this  ris- 
ing metropolis  of  the  Lakes  was  precisely  the 
point  where  the  Presbyterian  Church  most  needed 
a  permanent  and  fully  endowed  school  of  sacred 
learning  for  the  education  of  her  ministry,  and 
the  evangelizing  of  our  great  northwestern  terri- 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  43 

tory.  It  was  about  the  middle  of  this  month  of 
May,  just  twenty-five  years  ago,  at  the  meeting  of 
the  General  Assembly  in  the  city  of  Indianapo- 
lis, that  he  made  that  great  proposition  which 
struck  the  country  with  surprise  and  satisfaction, 
to  donate  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the 
permanent  establishment  of  a  Theological  Semi- 
nary in  Chicago.  Other  places  had  eagerly 
sought  the  honor,  but  this  liberal  offer  decided 
the  question.  The  Assembly  accepted  the  pro- 
posal, elected  the  professors ;  the  institution  was 
opened  for  students  in  September,  1859,  and  was 
thenceforward  identified  with  the  interests  of  this 
great  city,  with  the  interests  of  the  whole  North- 
west, and  with  the  interests  of  this  vast  interior 
region  of  which  it  is  the  commercial,  educational, 
and  religious  centre. 

Who  can  estimate  the  wide  extent  and  the  far- 
reaching  influence  of  a  work  like  this  ?  I  have 
reason  to  know  that  he  brought  the  institution  to 
this  place  not  for  the  sake  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  alone,  though  he  was  ever  a  staunch  ad- 
vocate and  defender  of  the  church,  and  sought  to 
promote  all  the  highest  interests.  But  he  had 
wider  views  and  sympathies.  He  sought  to  found 
this  institution  of  sacred  learning,  not  only  for  the 
benefit  of  the  church,  which  he  loved  so  well,  but 


44  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

in  the  interests  of  that  wider  Christianity  of  which 
the  Presbyterian  Church  is  but  a  part,  and  in  the 
interests  of  our  common  country,  North,  South, 
East,  and  West.  He  felt  from  the  first  that  both 
the  church  and  the  nation  required  an  institution 
of  this  character  just  at  this  point.  Nor  did  he 
ever  lose  faith  in  the  undertaking.  Through  all 
the  trials  and  discouragements  of  its  early  his- 
tory, in  the  face  of  apparent  indifference  and  want 
of  cooperation  on  the  part  of  the  church,  and  a 
degree  of  odium  and  misrepresentation  on  the 
part  of  the  public  outside,  from  which  many  a 
man  would  have  shrunk,  he  went  steadily  forward 
in  his  purpose ;  he  "  bated  not  a  jot  of  heart  or 
hope,"  and  with  that  firmness  and  tenacity  of  will 
which  characterized  his  whole  life,  he  resolved 
that  this  Seminary  by  God's  blessing  should  be  a 
success.  And  God  spared  him  long  enough  to 
see  these  efforts  crowned  with  the  most  gratifying 
success.  In  the  midst  of  increasing  bodily  in- 
firmities during  the  last  few  years,  he  seemed  to 
feel  an  increasing  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
Seminary.  He  was  permitted,  in  the  good  provi- 
dence of  God,  to  see  the  return  of  this  month  of 
May,  —  the  anniversary  of  his  first  gift.  During 
the  intervening  years,  since  1859,  he  had  added 
at   different    times   donations    to    the    Seminary, 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  45 

amounting  to  a  sum  three-fold  his  original  gift, 
some  for  buildings,  some  to  increase  the  endow- 
ment fund,  and  some  for  other  purposes.  It  seems 
a  remarkable  and  most  fitting  close  to  the  great 
work  of  benefaction  towards  this  institution,  that 
during  these  last  few  years  of  his  mortal  life,  he 
added  yet  another  and  third  munificent  gift  of  a 
hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  erection  of  pro- 
fessors' houses  and  a  new  and  more  extended  dor- 
mitory building, — thus  covering  the  Seminary 
campus  with  spacious  and  elegant  edifices,  lifting 
the  institution  out  of  all  its  embarrassments,  and 
placing  it  on  a  solid  basis  of  assured  success  and 
of  enduring  usefulness.  And  thus  he  crowned 
this  last  quarter  of  a  century  of  his  active  life 
with  a  wise  and  liberal  beneficence  similar  to 
that  with  which  he  had  begun  it,  and  similar  to 
that  with  which  he  had  filled  up  the  intermediate 
years. 

Such  is  the  record  of  what  he  had  done  for 
this  institution,  and  through  it  for  the  whole  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  for  our  common  country. 
Surely  no  institution  in  our  land  has  ever  had  a 
stauncher  friend  and  a  more  liberal  benefactor. 
It  may  devolve  on  others  to  tell  what  he  has  done 
for  our  broad  land,  and  for  other  civilized  lands 
in  all  parts  of  the  world,  as  the  inventor  of  one 


46  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

of  the  most  important  and  useful  implements  of 
agriculture  known  to  mankind.  While  his  name 
will  live  through  coming  ages  in  all  the  world  of 
fruitful  industry,  by  reason  of  this  labor-saving 
and  almost  wonder-working  machine  ;  and  while 
his  monument  will  stand  here  on  the  other  side 
of  the  city  in  that  vast  manufacturing  establish- 
ment built  up  by  his  business  energy  and  fore- 
sight, which  is  now  sending  its  reapers  over  the 
world  at  the  rate  of  fifty  thousand  annually,  this 
other  monument  of  his  wisdom  and  benevolence 
will  also  stand  for  all  coming  time,  by  which  he 
has  associated  his  name  indissolubly  with  all  the 
best  interests  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  the 
Christian  ministry. 

Certainly  his  was  a  privileged  and  useful  life,  a 
successful  and  wondrously  completed  work.  Cer- 
tainly it  is  no  small  honor  which  God  has  con- 
ferred upon  him  and  upon  those  who  bear  his 
name,  who  have  shared  with  him  his  pilgrimage 
of  active  toil,  and  who,  now  that  his  day  of  life  is 
ended,  live  to  resume  the  task  and  carry  forward 
his  work.  It  is  a  distinction  of  sacred  and  blessed 
influences  to  have  been  associated  with  such  a 
benefactor  of  the  public,  such  an  inventor  of  use- 
ful art,  such  a  friend  of  institutions  of  education, 
such  a  founder  and   supporter  of  the   schools  of 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  47 

sacred  learning.  Not  alone  has  this  city  of  Chi- 
cago been  the  witness  and  recipient  of  his  bene- 
faction. In  all  parts  of  the  country,  North  and 
South,  East  and  West,  there  are  those  who  could 
rise  up  and  tell  of  his  large  and  timely  gifts  to 
our  struggling  academies  and  colleges  and  schools 
of  the  prophets,  and  to  many  local  churches  that 
he  has  helped  to  sustain,  and  whose  financial 
difficulties  he  has  removed  by  generous  dona- 
tions. 

Blessed  then  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the 
Lord  when  they  can  rest  from  their  labors  after 
works  like  these,  when  they  can  leave  their  kin- 
dred, their  fellow-citizens,  and  their  fellow-Chris- 
tians, with  memorials  of  good  example,  of  faith- 
ful service,  of  consistent  character,  and  of  generous 
benevolence,  such  as  have  marked  the  history  of 
our  departed  brother.  It  was  the  grace  of  God 
that  enabled  him  to  do  so  well  his  appointed  life- 
work.  It  was  God  who  inspired  him  with  the 
purpose  to  do  such  a  work,  gave  him  the  means 
and  filled  his  heart  with  that  tenacity  which  ena- 
bled him  at  last  to  make  his  work  an  accomplished 
fact.  Whilst  then  there  is  much  in  the  history 
of  this  life  and  in  its  peaceful,  happy  end  to  cheer 
the  heart  of  the  bereaved  ones,  and  to  encourage 
the  living  to  imitate  his  example,  we  still  feel  the 


48  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

sadness  of  the  hour,  and  deeply  sympathize  with 
the  stricken  family  in  the  blow  which  has  de- 
prived both  them  and  us  of  such  a  friend  and 
helper,  such  a  brother  and  co-worker  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  D.  C.  Marquis  then  delivered  the 
following  address  :  — 

"There  is  a  reaper  whose  name  is  Death, 
And  with  his  sickle  keen 
He  reaps  the  bearded  grain  at  a  breath, 
And  the  flowers  that  grow  between." 

Perhaps  only  yesterday  we  gathered  the  tiny 
flower  that  grew  between  the  stalks  of  ripened 
grain,  and  with  tearful  eyes  we  buried  its  withered 
beauty  out  of  our  sight.  To-day  it  is  the  stalk 
of  bearded  and  ripened  grain,  cut  down  in  the 
fullness  of  its  days ;  the  gathered  sheaf,  the  shock 
of  corn  full  ready  for  the  garnering.  There  is 
something  deeply  and  powerfully  impressive  in 
the  sight  of  the  strong  oak  that  has  towered 
among  its  fellows  of  the  forest,  lying  prone  upon 
the  earth,  its  place  vacant,  its  strength  vanished, 
its  life  gone,  though  its  usefulness  is  not  ended. 
We  think  of  the  years  that  giant  tree  has  flour- 
ished, of  the  life  it  has  lived,  of  the  storms  it  has 
weathered,  of  the   deep-rooted   stabihty  that  in- 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  49 

spired  and  commanded  confidence,  of  the  strength 
that  has  so  long  afforded  shelter  and  repose  ;  and 
when  we  contrast  all  this  with  the  prostrate  form 
so  still  and  helpless,  the  lesson  it  teaches  is  the 
story  so  often  repeated,  old  as  the  history  of  man, 
and  yet  ever  new  and  ever  needing  to  be  taught 
again,  that  the  strongest  earthly  life  must  reach 
its  close,  the  most  far-reaching  and  enduring  of 
earthly  ties  must  be  severed,  the  longest  and  most 
conspicuous  path  of  earthly  activity  and  influence 
must  have  its  end. 

A  scene  like  this  is  before  us  to-day.  The  life 
that  has  gone  from  among  us  was  no  common  life. 
It  was  the  life  of  one  who  rose  conspicuous  among 
his  fellow-men.  The  name  engraved  upon  this 
casket  is  celebrated  throughout  the  civilized 
world ;  the  man  who  dwelt  in  this  clay  tabernacle 
was  eminent  in  his  generation.  A  life  of  emi- 
nence, of  influence,  of  usefulness,  of  strength,  has 
passed  away,  and  we  who  were  his  neighbors  and 
friends  are  here  to  pay  our  tribute  of  respect  to 
his  character,  and  to  give  expression  to  our  sym- 
pathy with  those  bereaved,  by  testifying  our  sense 
of  the  loss  which  his  departure  has  caused  to  his 
family,  to  the  community,  and  to  the  wide  circle 
of  interests  so  greatly  benefited  by  his  life. 

There  is  always  much  to  be  learned  from  the 


50  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

record  of  an  earnest,  laborious,  honorable  life. 
It  is  profitable  to  dwell  upon  the  histor}'  of  one 
who  has  achieved  eminence  and  an  honorable 
fame  by  the  force  of  native  qualities  of  mind,  di- 
rected by  unswerving  purpose,  indomitable  perse- 
verance, and  untiring  labor.  But  still  more  prof- 
itable is  it  when  these  native  qualities,  thus  trained 
and  thus  directed,  have  achieved  their  grandest 
results  in  closest  harmony  and  truest  consistency 
with  those  eternal  principles  of  truth  and  right, 
which  reach  beyond  time  and  lay  hold  upon  eter- 
nity. 

My  brethren  here  have  already  spoken  of  the 
more  public  life  and  services  of  Mr.  McCormick. 
Let  it  be  mine  rather  to  speak  of  those  more  per- 
sonal characteristics,  which  were  the  controlling 
principles  of  his  life ;  the  things  which  gave  to  the 
man  his  marked  individuality  and  force ;  and  the 
impressions  to  which  I  shall  try  to  give  expres- 
sion are  those  gathered  from  the  intimacies  of 
personal  friendship,  from  the  experiences  of  that 
closer  companionship  which  is  born  of  sympa- 
thetic association. 

There  are  certain  traits  of  character  which  Mr. 
McCormick  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree,  upon 
which  I  need  not  enlarge,  for  they  are  known 
and  read  of  all  men.     It  needs  not  that  I  should 


FUNERAL  SERVICES.  51 

tell  any  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  of  his  un- 
swerving integrity,  of  his  unfailing  tenacity  of 
purpose,  of  his  strength  of  will,  and  of  his  untir- 
ing perseverance  in  the  pursuit  of  an  object. 
And  yet  these  are  qualities  that  are  liable  to  be 
misapprehended,  and  the  man  who  possesses  them 
is  liable  to  be  misjudged.  The  unthinking  world, 
which  knows  only  what  it  sees,  and  which  judges 
a  man's  life  by  what  appears  upon  the  surface, 
might  attribute  these  traits  of  character  to  pride 
of  will,  or  obstinacy  of  disposition.  And  in  some 
men  it  may  be  so.  But  having  been  associated 
with  Mr.  McCormick  in  times  of  trial,  I  can  speak 
from  personal  knowledge  ;  and  justice  to  him  de- 
mands that  I  should  speak  it  here ;  —  that  the 
substratum  of  his  character  was  formed  by  an 
underlying  principle,  deeper,  broader,  grander, 
sublimer  far  than  any  of  those  which  I  have 
enumerated.  That  which  gave  intensity  to  his 
purpose,  strength  to  his  will,  and  nerved  him  for 
perseverance  that  never  failed,  was  his  supreme 
regard  for  justice,  his  worshipful  reverence  for 
the  true  and  the  right.  The  thoroughness  of 
his  conviction  that  justice  must  be  done,  that 
right  must  be  maintained,  made  him  insensible 
to  reproach  and  impatient  of  delay.  I  do  not 
wonder  that  his  character  was  strong,  or  that  his 


52  FUNERAL  SERVICES. 

purpose  was  invincible,  nor  that  his  plans  were 
crowned  with  an  ultimate  and  signal  success  ;  for 
where  conviction  of  right  is  the  motive  power, 
and  the  attainment  of  justice  the  end  in  view, 
with  faith  in  God  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail. 
I  do  not  affirm  that  he  was  always  accurate  in 
discerning  with  minutest  correctness  just  where 
the  justice  lay,  for  no  man  is  infallible.  But  I  do 
affirm  that  he  was  firmly  convinced  that  right 
and  truth  and  justice  lay  at  the  goal  for  which 
he  strove,  and  with  that  conviction  he  was  not  to 
be  turned  aside.  And  as  an  evidence  that  this 
testimony  is  true,  and  that  no  mere  personal  grat- 
ification was  his  motive,  it  is  enough  to  say  that, 
much  as  we  have  talked  together  and  planned 
together  about  the  things  wherein  he  differed 
from  his  fellow-men,  I  never  heard  him  utter  one 
word  in  harshness  toward  the  absent,  nor  speak 
of  them  in  other  terms  than  those  which  the  truest 
charity  would  prompt.  Speaking  directly  to  an 
antagonist,  his  words  were  sometimes  sharp  and 
strong;  but  speaking  of  him  none  could  be  more 
gentle,  none  more  charitable  than  he.  And  this 
is  a  test  of  Christian  principle  that  cannot  easily 
be  gainsaid. 

2.  Another  characteristic  of    Mr.   McCormick 
was  his  unquestioning  faith.     He  believed  with- 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  53 

out  hesitation  whatever  was  said  in  the  Bible. 
He  had  a  settled  confidence  that  the  whole  Bible 
was  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  whatever  it  said 
must  be  true.  He  also  had  implicit  faith  in  the 
sovereignty  of  God,  and  the  purpose  of  God,  and 
an  abiding  confidence  in  the  superintending  prov- 
idence of  God.  And  that  is  the  kind  of  faith  that 
makes  men  strong.  The  spirit  born  of  such  faith 
expects  great  things  and  attempts  great  things. 
It  stops  not  for  fear  of  failure,  but  goes  on,  sure 
of  success.  It  Qfives  a  man  decision  when  he  has 
to  choose,  and  firmness  when  he  proceeds  to  act. 
Only  let  him  see  that  there  is  a  word  of  the  Lord 
applicable  to  the  case  in  hand,  and  there  is  an  end 
of  doubt. 

3.  Still  another  distinguishing  characteristic  of 
our  friend  was  his  love  for  and  his  devotion  to 
the  distinctive  doctrines  of  the  Gospel.  He  had 
none  of  that  kind  of  charity  which  confounds 
light  and  darkness,  and  truth  and  error,  and  imag- 
ines that  all  who  profess  Christianity  mean  the 
same  thing,  no  matter  what  they  say.  His  char- 
ity was  of  the  genuine  apostolic  kind  which  re- 
joices only  in  the  truth.  We  all  know  it  to  be 
true,  and  it  is  with  a  feeling  of  utmost  thankful- 
ness that  I  here  proclaim  it,  that  no  religious 
teacher,  however  vast  his  learning,  however  bril- 


54  FUNERAL  SERVICES. 

liant  in  intellect,  however  attractive  in  eloquence, 
or  however  celebrated  in  reputation,  could  ever 
win  this  man's  confidence  unless  he  tauo:ht  the 
great  leading  doctrines  of  Christ's  gospel  with  no 
uncertain  sound.  Justification  by  faith,  regener- 
ation by  the  spirit,  the  propitiatory  sacrifice  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  God-man,  the  only  way  of  salva- 
tion. These  and  kindred  truths  were  the  things 
he  loved  to  hear  clearly  stated,  and  if  there  was  a 
deficiency  here,  whatever  others  might  think,  he 
was  not  satisfied.  And,  my  friends,  whatever 
other  things  he  may  have  repented,  I  venture  to 
say  he  never  repented  of  that,  and  he  does  not 
regret  it  now. 

Take  then  these  three  things :  his  supreme 
regard  for  the  principles  of  justice,  truth,  and 
right;  his  implicit  faith  in  the  Bible  as  the  Word 
of  God;  and  his  love  for,  and  devotion  to,  the 
fundamental  and  essential  truths  of  Christianity. 
These  principles  working  upon  a  resolute  will 
and  a  sound  judgment  and  a  determined  purpose, 
is  it  any  wonder  that  his  character  was  strong, 
or  that  his  life  was  a  power,  or  his  measures  a 
success  ?  And  yet  it  was  not  the  cold,  stern 
nature  that  might  be  supposed  to  accompany 
conscious  strength,  nor  was  it  the  unsympathetic 
nature  that  might  be  moulded   by  success.     The 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  55 

faith  he  cherished  was  a  faith  that  inculcates 
charity,  and  right  nobly  has  he  exemplified  it. 
His  gifts  have  been  dispensed  with  a  princely 
munificence  to  every  cause  that  in  his  judgment 
would  promote  the  temporal,  or  moral,  or  religious 
welfare  of  his  fellow-men.  Chastened  by  suffer- 
ing, his  last  days  were  occupied  in  strengthening 
enterprises  of  Christian  beneficence,  which  he 
had  long  felt  it  a  privilege  to  aid.  And  when 
the  last  hours  came,  and  the  earthly  interests  and 
duties  must  be  laid  aside,  it  did  not  meet  him  as 
a  surprise.  He  knew  in  whom  he  had  believed. 
His  last  conscious  act  on  earth  was  to  lead  his 
household  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  in  prayer 
commit  them  to  the  care  of  a  covenant-keeping 
God.  His  last  conscious  words,  as  though  all 
backward  thoughts  were  vanished,  and  only  the 
forward  remained,  were,  "  It  is  ended  here ;  it  is 
heaven  now."     And  so  he  fell  asleep. 

"  Soldier  of  Christ,  well  done, 
Praise  be  thy  new  employ, 
And  while  eternal  ages  run, 
Rest  in  thy  Saviour's  joy." 


56  FUNERAL  SERVICES. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Johnson  then  delivered  the  fol- 
lowing address  :  — 

If  I  were  broadly  to  characterize  the  brother 
and  father  whose  decease  we  here  recognize,  it 
would  be  by  saying  that  he  was  one  who  put  his 
thought  into  things,  rather  than  words.  He  could 
speak,  if  there  were  occasion,  with  decision  and 
emphasis.  Forceful  and  effective  public  utter- 
ance was  possible  to  him,  but  he  did  not  lean  that 
way.  He  was  not,  by  eminence  or  preference,  in 
oratory  the  impassioned  or  the  syllogistic  reasoner. 
He  rarely  took  the  platform  to  carry  men's  hearts 
by  power  of  pathetic  appeal,  or  to  carry  their 
reasons  by  weight  of  argument,  though  he  had 
both  imagination  and  logic ;  but  commonly  his 
imagination  and  his  logic  found  other  expression 
than  that  which  is  connected  with  public  speech. 
He  directed  his  effort  towards  putting  his  thought 
into  things,  rather  than  into  words ;  and  the 
things  to  which  he  chiefly  gave  his  thought  rep- 
resented three  great  departments  of  human  in- 
terest, —  industry,  education,  and  journalism. 
Born  and  reared  on  a  farm,  it  was  natural  that  his 
thought  should  first  be  given  to  industry ;  and 
the  thinking  he  did  there  while  at  the  plough  and 
harrow,  and  while  swinging  the  scythe  and  cradle, 
was  that  kind  of  thinking  which    has  given  to 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  57 

man's  hand  the  capacity  of  a  loom,  which  has 
given  to  his  arm  the  mighty  beat  of  our  trip- 
hammers, which  has  given  to  his  feet,  through  the 
steam-engine,  the  power  of  annihilating  distance, 
and  to  his  eye,  through  the  telescope,  the  sweep 
of  all  the  stars.  Other  boys  have  been  born  and 
reared  on  farms,  and  have  kept  on  swinging  their 
scythes  until  themselves  mowed  down  at  last  by 
the  Great  Reaper.  Not  so  with  this  lad  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  active  imagination  early  saw  possibil- 
ities of  power  in  muscles  of  iron  and  steel  that 
did  not  lie  in  the  flexible  sinews  of  his  right  arm. 
He  married  brain  to  muscle,  and,  lo !  the  reaper, 
which  has  been  steadily,  through  his  oversight 
and  inventive  genius,  perfecting  itself,  until  now 
it  does  for  three  continents  what  the  cotton-gin 
does  for  the  South.  For  a  full  quarter  century  it 
has  been  attending  the  world's  great  gatherings 
of  peaceful  industry,  where  the  nations  have  come 
together  to  celebrate  the  brain's  independence, 
and  there  it  has  won  trophy  after  trophy  in  the 
battles  of  peaceful  industry,  until  the  medals  and 
prizes  and  testimonials  fairly  cluster  thick  about 
the  man  who  stood  as  its  animating  genius  and 
fruitful  inventor.  In  the  providence  of  God,  it 
seems  to  me  that  he  was  made  the  hand  that 
reached  over  and  dropped  the  largest  blessing  on 

8 


58  FUNERAL  SERVICES. 

toil  that  has  ever  fallen  as  a  benediction  out  of 
heaven.  And  it  is  a  beautiful  and  appropriate 
thing  that  the  workmen  of  this  great  business 
should  come  to-day  and  lay  their  tribute  of  affec- 
tion and  reverence  upon  this  casket;  for  the 
music  of  the  reaper  is  the  sweetest  music  that  is 
now  heard  by  the  ear  of  industry.  This  continent 
is  peopled,  and  railroads  are  enabled  to  push 
their  enterprises  into  its  vast  inland  spaces,  be- 
cause the  reaper  is  there  to  give  them  the  harvest 
whose  gathering  would  otherwise  have  been  im- 
possible. 

But  this  man  of  inventive  genius,  whose  bent 
it  was  to  put  his  thought  into  things,  did  not  con- 
fine himself  to  material  interests.  The  value  of 
the  reaper  may  possibly  be  represented  by  dollars 
and  cents.  Mr.  McCormick  went  higher  and 
deeper,  he  thought  of  souls  as  well  as  machines. 
And  the  thing  into  which  he  put  this  thought  as 
representative  of  another  department  of  human 
interests  is  that  Theological  Institution  of  whose 
founding  and  career  we  have  already  heard,  show- 
ing that  the  beloved  and  honored  man  was  moved 
by  higher  considerations  than  those  which  simply 
appeal  to  selfish  interests  and  to  the  accumulation 
of  wealth  ;  that  into  his  soul  came  ideals  he  would 
seek  to  realize  by  an  outward  and  public  expres- 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  59 

sion.  When  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  was 
a  child  with  few  friends,  without  any  foundation, 
and  with  no  assured  future,  he  proposed,  even  in 
the  pressure  of  his  absorbing  business,  and  while 
that  business  was  yet  in  the  comparative  dawn  of 
its  great  development,  to  bring  the  seminary  to 
Chicago,  and  give  it  stability  and  financial  an- 
chorage where,  in  the  midst  of  this  great  metro- 
polis, and  in  the  midst  of  this  vast  inter-continen- 
tal region,  it  might  do  a  great  work  for  God,  in 
rearing  a  living  ministry. 

You  have  heard  the  story  of  his  persistent, 
faithful,  generous,  and  large-hearted  connection 
with  the  institution,  without  whose  agency  it 
never  would  have  had  the  wide  and  conspicuous 
and  grandly  prophetic  place  it  holds  to-day  in  the 
heart  of  the  church.  How  beautiful  was  the 
providence  that  permitted  him,  just  before  the 
close  of  his  earthly  life,  to  see  so  rich  a  fruitage 
from  that  sowing.  I  remember  well  the  evening, 
only  a  little  while  ago,  when  fifty-nine  students  of 
the  seminary  and  a  corps  of  professors  and  a  circle 
of  friends  gathered  here  where  we  are  gathered 
to-day,  and  he  sat  in  the  midst  of  the  joyful  com- 
pany, his  heart  full  of  intense  emotion,  and  every 
feature  of  his  face  expressive  of  gratitude  to  God 
for  the  privilege  that  had  been  vouchsafed  him  in 
sharing  so  largely  in  bringing  all  this  to  pass. 


6o  FUNERAL   SERVICES. 

Later  on,  he  discovered  another  need  that  came 
to  his  eye  and  heart,  in  the  field  of  journalism. 
A  religious  newspaper,  "  The  Interior,"  had  been 
started  in  this  city,  representative  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  It  was  struggling  in  early  dark- 
ness and  difficulty,  when  he  was  led  to  shoulder 
the  responsibility  of  its  management,  and  to  place 
it  upon  such  foundation  and  secure  for  it  such 
competent  editorship  that  it  has  grown  to  be  now 
not  an  organ  but  a  mighty  voice,  expressing  the 
convictions,  the  aspirations,  and  the  hopes  of  a 
great  church,  and  destined  beyond  all  question  to 
perpetuate  itself  through  years  and  ages,  into  the 
far  distant  future. 

Now  what  was  behind  all  this,  —  what  the 
make-up  of  such  a  man  doing  such  a  work  ?  I 
would  say  that  he  was  characterized,  first  of  all, 
by  great  energy,  that  was  capable  of  marshaling 
immense  resources,  and  of  commanding  every 
possible  facility  for  the  furtherance  of  a  great  in- 
terest, and  of  pressing  them  with  tremendous 
force  to  the  accomplishment  of  any  given  object. 
But  men  sometimes  move  with  great  energy  for  a 
while,  and  then  lose  hope  and  heart.  Not  so  he. 
For  along  with  great  energy  he  had  great  te- 
nacity of  purpose,  into  which  he  seemed  to  put 
the  very  soul  of  unalterableness.     When  he  once 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  6 1 

decided  a  thing  ought  to  be  done,  that  thing 
went  down,  so  far  as  human  will  could  place  it 
there,  into  the  catalogue  of  things  irreversible. 
If  it  lay  in  the  realm  of  possibility,  it  was  done. 
Then  along  with  this,  he  had  a  deathless  and 
dauntless  courage,  so  that  he  was  never  appalled 
by  obstacles,  never  abashed  in  the  face  of  opposi- 
tion, and  never  troubled  about  difficulties,  though 
environing  and  threatening  him  on  every  side. 
He  was  like  that  Swiss  chieftain,  to  whom  one  of 
his  followers  said,  as  he  was  about  to  step  into  a 
boat  to  cross  the  lake  in  a  storm,  "  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  cross  this  lake  to-night,"  and  to  which  the 
chief  replied :  "  I  know  not  whether  it  be  impos- 
sible, I  know  it  must  be  attempted."  When  Mr. 
McCormick  became  convinced  a  thing  ought  to 
be  attempted,  he  was  fearless  in  the  face  of  oppo- 
sition, no  matter  what  its  might  or  multitude. 

But  these  qualities  I  have  named  show  simply 
the  man  of  power.  When  these  are  alone  they 
give  us  the  despot,  the  man  of  iron  heel,  the  man 
who  can  win  victories,  but  win  them  ruthlessly. 
Accompanying  and  regulating  these  qualities  in 
Mr.  McCormick's  nature,  keeping  them  mainly  to 
just  procedure,  was  a  regnant  conscience.  And 
back  of  all,  beneath  all,  round  about  all,  softening 
and  mellowing  the  man,  was  the  affectionateness 


62  FUNERAL  SERVICES. 

of  a  great  tender  heart.  I  do  not  suppose  that 
the  mass  of  people  knew  that  he  had  this  royal 
possession,  for  he  did  not  "  tie  his  heart  upon  his 
sleeve  for  daws  to  peck  at."  It  might  have  been 
better  if  he  had  shown  a  little  more  of  this  emo- 
tional nature.  But  as  his  pastor,  and  in  the  inti- 
macies of  personal  friendship,  often  and  often  I 
have  seen  his  heart  lifted  to  his  eyes  until  those 
determined  eyes  melted  into  tenderness  and  tears. 
Often  and  often  I  have  seen  the  lighter  and  mag- 
netic side  of  his  nature  get  such  supremacy  that  at 
last,  all  over  the  fixed  features  of  his  face,  it  broke 
out  in  ripples  of  laughter.  He  carried  a  great  joy 
and  a  great  tenderness  beneath  what,  to  some, 
may  have  seemed  a  rough  exterior.  He  was 
moved  with  emotion  until  tears  rolled  down  his 
cheeks,  again  and  again,  at  some  tender  exhibi- 
tion of  the  truth  of  God  in  the  sanctuary.  He 
believed  God,  and  it  was  accounted  to  him  for 
righteousness ;  and  at  last,  through  much  suffer- 
ing, he  entered  into  the  kingdom. 

"  *  I  know  '  is  all  the  sufiferer  saith, 
'  Knowledge,  by  suffering,  entereth, 
And  life  is  perfected  in  death.' " 

Last  Sabbath  morning,  in  the  early  dawn,  the 
whole  family  gathered  about  his  bedside,  and  his 


FUNERAL   SERVICES.  63 

oldest  son  said  to  him,  "  Father,  shall  we  have 
our  morning  prayer,  as  usual  ?  "  "  Oh,  yes,"  said 
the  father ;  and,  with  the  entire  household  kneel- 
ing around  his  bed,  he  led  them  in  prayer,  saying 
his  "  Amen  "  with  firmness  and  trust.  Then  he 
broke  out  in  a  beautiful  hymn,  in  which  the 
family  joined  :  — 

"  Oh  !  Thou  in  whose  presence  my  soul  takes  delight." 

Then,  bidding,  one  by  one,  his  household  good- 
by,  he  wrapped  the  spotless  robe  of  Christ's 
righteousness  about  him,  and  "  fell  on  sleep." 
Blessed  indeed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord. 
Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from 
their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow  them. 


At  the  conclusion  of  these  addresses  about  four 
hundred  employees  of  the  Reaper  Works,  many 
of  whom  have  been  there  for  twenty  years,  and 
felt  a  sincere  attachment  to  him,  walked  in  a 
double  line  past  the  coffin  to  bid  a  long  and  sad 
farewell  to  their  departed  leader.  The  remains 
were  interred  in  Graceland  Cemetery. 


I^esoltitions* 


RESOLUTIONS. 


GENERAL  ASSEMBLY  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH. 

Saratoga,  May  i6,  1884. 

■  The  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  being  in  session  at  Saratoga,  Elder 
Thomas  Kane,  of  Chicago,  announced  the  death 
of  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  as  having  occurred  at 
7  A.  M.,  Tuesday,  May  13,  with  appropriate  re- 
marks upon  his  work  for  the  church,  and  offered 
the  following  Resolution,  which  was  adopted  by 
the  Assembly  rising  to  their  feet :  — 

Resolved,  That  this  Assembly  has  learned  with 
sorrow  of  the  death  of  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick, and  recognizes  the  loss  which  the  church 
has  sustained  in  the  departure  hence  of  so  de- 
voted and  munificent  a  friend  of  Christian  and 
theological  education,  and  of  every  good  work. 


68  RESOLUTIONS. 


GENERAL    ASSEMBLY    OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH    IN    THE   UNITED    STATES. 

ViCKSBURG,  Miss.,  May  21,  1884. 

The  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States,  in  session  in  this 
city,  this  day  unanimously  adopted  the  following- 
minute,  and  ordered  the  undersigned  to  forward 
the  same  to  you  :  — 

"  The  General  Assembly  having  information  of 
the  death  of  the  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  of 
Chicago,  111.,  deems  it  eminently  suitable  to  make 
a  record  of  an  event  which  marks  the  departure 
to  his  everlasting  rest  of  a  Christian  man,  who, 
throughout  a  long  life,  has  consecrated  so  much 
of  his  ample  wealth  to  the  welfare  of  his  fellow- 
men.  In  all  these  benefactions  the  people  and 
institutions  of  his  native  south  were  largely  and 
most  kindly  remembered." 

Joseph  R.  Wilson, 

Stated  Clerk. 


RESOL  UTIONS.  69 


PRESBYTERIAN   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY  OF  THE 
NORTHWEST. 

MINUTE  OF  THE  FACULTY  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  HON.    CYRUS   H. 

Mccormick,  adopted  may  24,  1SS4. 

The  Faculty  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  here  record  upon 
their  minutes  their  views  and  feelings  in  connec- 
tion with  the  decease  of  the  lamented  Hon.  Cyrus 
H.  McCormick. 

I.  The  sagacious  foresight  and  wisdom  of  Mr. 
McCormick  in  selecting,  twenty-five  years  since, 
the  commanding  location  of  this  city  as  the  appro- 
priate and  permanent  seat  of  this  Institution,  and 
in  making  it  secure  through  the  action  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
by  a  donation  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

II.  His  steadfast  conviction  of  the  importance 
of  maintaining  the  Seminary  in  the  spirit  and 
purpose  of  the  action  of  the  General  Assembly, 
and  this  when,  instead  of  admiration  and  grati- 
tude for  his  sagacity  and  beneficence,  he  was  con- 
fronted with  no  little  opposition  and  opprobrium. 

III.  His  readiness  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the  in- 
stitution amid  its  difficulties,  not  only  by  many 


70  RESOL  UTIONS. 

needful  gifts  at  different  times,  but  also  by  the 
contribution  of  another  hundred  thousand  dollars 
towards  its  endowment. 

IV.  Four  of  the  members  of  the  Faculty  have 
special  occasion  to  record  their  gratitude  to  Mr. 
McCormick  for  his  gift  of  most  commodious  and 
beautifully  located  residences,  by  which  not  only 
their  personal  comfort  is  secured,  but  the  Institu- 
tion itself  is  benefited  by  the  opportunity  thus 
given  for  constant  oversight  and  influence  in  con- 
nection with  the  students. 

V.  The  Faculty  hereby  express  their  own  and 
the  church's  very  great  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick for  his  prompt  and  noble  munificence  in 
the  erection  of  the  new  and  spacious  dormitory 
on  the  grounds  of  the  institution,  for  the  increas- 
ing number  of  students. 

VI.  We  also  take  this  occasion  to  record  our 
sense  of  gratitude  to  Mr.  McCormick  for  the  wide 
door  he  has  opened  to  each  and  all  of  us  for  use- 
fulness to  the  church  of  his  and  our  warmest  af- 
fections. 

VII.  And  finally  we  thank  God  that  before  his 
departure  from  the  scene  of  his  large  Christian 
benefactions,  he  was  permitted  the  gratification 
of  witnessing  the  most  encouraging  tokens  of 
prosperity  and  success  in  the  Institution  to  which 


RESOLUTIONS.  7 1 

he  had  given   so  much   thought  and    labor  and 
bounty. 

Resolved,  that  a  copy  of  this  m  nute  be  trans- 
mitted to  his  family,  with  the  expression  of  our 
tenderest  sympathy  in  their  bereavement  and  grief, 
and  our  prayer  is  that  the  God  of  Consolation 
may  sustain  and  comfort  them  as  the  Husband  of 
the  widow  and  the  Father  of  the  fatherless. 

Willis  G.  Craig,  Chairman. 
Edward  L.  Curtis,  Secretary. 


MEMORIAL  RESOLUTIONS  BY  THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  OF 
THE  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  THEO- 
LOGICAL SEMINARY  OF  THE  NORTHWEST. 

The  Executive  Committee,  on  behalf  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  desire  to  record  an  expres- 
sion of  their  profound  sorrow  at  the  great  loss 
sustained  by  the  Seminary  and  the  church  at 
large,  in  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick. 

The  warm  and  unfaltering  friendship  of  Mr. 
McCormick  for  the  cause  of  education,  especially 
in  training  young  men  for  the  ministiy,  was  shown 
not  only  by  his  words  but  by  his  deeds  of  munifi- 
cence, which  constitute  an  enduring  monument  to 
his  memory,  and  will  cause  him  to  be  remembered 


7  2  RE  SOL  UTIONS. 

as  one  of  the  benefactors  of  mankind.  The  Sem- 
inary of  the  Northwest,  the  good  influence  of 
which  will  be  felt  through  all  time  in  Christian 
education,  will  remain  as  an  example  of  his  wisely 
directed  benevolence  to  be  emulated  by  others. 

The  timely  beneficence  of  Mr.  McCormick  to 
this  institution  was  but  an  expression  of  his  strong 
faith  in  God,  and  of  his  love  for  the  highest  in- 
terests of  mankind. 

We  desire  to  extend  to  the  family  of  the  de- 
ceased our  deepest  sympathy  in  their  great  be- 
reavement. 

In  the  life  of  such  a  man,  the  world  can  learn 
lessons  from  the  fidelity  with  which  he  improved 
the  opportunities  both  of  youth  and  manhood, 
and  found  time,  amidst  the  cares  of  the  immense 
industry  over  which  he  presided,  to  ascend  to 
higher  levels  of  thought,  and  engage  in  works  of 
philanthropy  which  will  endear  his  name  to  com- 
ing generations.  Through  his  good  works  "  he 
being  dead,  yet  speaketh." 

Samuel  M.  Moore,  Chairman. 

Daniel  S.  Gregory,  Secretary. 


RESOLUTIONS.  1Z 


PRESBYTERIAN  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY  OF   THE 
NORTHWEST. 

RESOLUTIONS  PASSED  BY  THE  ALUMNI  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  IN  SPECIAL  MEETING  AT  THE 
GENERAL  ASSEMBLY  AT   SARATOGA,  N.  Y.,  MAY  i8,  1884. 

Whereas,  in  the  all-wise  providence  of  God,  the 
Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  has  been  called  from 
his  labors  in  this  life  to  his  reward,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  Alumni  of  the  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  in  special  meet- 
ing at  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  express  our  gratitude  to  God  for  a  life  so 
largely  useful  to  the  cause  of  theological  learning. 

That  while  humbly  submitting  to  this  dispensa- 
tion of  Providence,  we  mourn  the  loss  of  one  who 
has  been  to  the  Northwest,  and  the  whole  church, 
a  most  munificent  friend  of  theological  training 
and  Christian  education. 

That  we  extend  our  sympathy  to  the  bereaved 
family  in  their  affliction  and  prayerfully  commend 
them  to  the  consolation  of  the  Divine  Comforter. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  action  be  sent  to 

the  sorrowing  family,  and  that  it  be  published  in 

the  "  Interior  "  and  other  church  papers. 

Rev.  W.  F.  RiNGLAND,  President  pro  tern. 
Rev.  John  McAllister,  Secretary  pro  tern. 


74  RESOLUTIONS. 


WOMAN'S  PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  MISSIONS  OF 
THE  NORTHWEST. 

Room  48,  McCormick  Block,  Chicago. 

At  a  Memorial  Meeting  of  the  Board  at  its 
rooms,  May  i6th,  the  following  resolutions  were 
passed  by  a  unanimous  rising  vote  :  — 

In  the  death  of  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  the 
world  has  lost  a  helper,  and  this  organization  a 
warm  friend  and  sympathizer,  who  has  been  iden- 
tified with  it  almost  from  its  commencement. 
Through  his  benefaction, "  Room  48  "  has  become 
a  great  Mission  Centre  of  America,  —  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  while  we  sincerely  mourn  his 
loss,  we  thank  our  Heavenly  Father  for  his  long 
life  of  usefulness  and  generosity,  esteeming  it  a 
privilege  that  we  were  permitted  to  share  his  fel- 
lowship. 

Resolved,  That  we  strive  to  emulate  his  noble  life 
of  service,  so  that  through  us  he  may  continue  to 
raise  up  many  who  remain  in  the  dark  shadows 
of  ignorance,  sin,  and  death. 

Resolved,  That  we  offer  to  the  bereaved  family 
our  tender  sympathy,  rejoicing,  in  our  sorrow,  that 
the  husband  and  father  has  left  them  a  rich  legacy 


RESOLUTIONS.  75 

of  prayer,  which  will  insure  to  them  the  blessing 
of  God,  while  they  entrust  all  their  sorrows  and 
cares  to  his  keeping. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be 
sent  to  the  family,  and   published   in   the  "  Inte- 
rior," and  entered  upon  the  records  of  this  Board. 
Mrs.  George  H.  Laflin,  Secretary. 


76  RESOLUTIONS. 


WASHINGTON   AND    LEE    UNIVERSITY. 

EXTRACT    FROM  THE    MINUTES    OF  A  MEETING    OF  THE    BOARD 
OF  TRUSTEES,  JUNE  24,   1S84. 

The  following  paper,  presented  by  Benjamin 
M.  Smith  as  a  tribute  to  Cyrus  H.  McCormick, 
deceased,  was  adopted,  and  the  Secretary  directed 
to  furnish  a  copy  thereof  to  President  Lee,  with 
a  request  that  he  communicate  the  same  to  Mr. 
McCormick's  family :  — 

The  trustees  of  Washington  and  Lee  Univer- 
sity place  on  record  this 

Memorial  of  Hon.  Cyrus  Hall  McCormick. 

This  eminent  Christian  philanthropist  was 
born  of  a  pious  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  in  Rock- 
bridge County,  Va.,  near  the  village  of  Midway, 
February  15,  1809.  He  became  a  communicant 
in  New  Providence  Church  in  1834,  and  ever 
continued  a  consistent  professor  of  the  Christian 
Faith.  Having  served  his  generation  by  a  life 
abounding  in  good  works,  he  closed  his  career, 
full  of  years  and  of  honors,  and  fell  asleep  in  Jesus 
May  13,  1884. 

He  grew  up  to  adult  age  on  a  farm,  and  not- 


RE  SOL  UTIONS.  7  7 

withstanding  the  limited  advantages  generally  in- 
cident to  such  a  position,  by  the  vigor  of  a  natu- 
ral intellect  of  extraordinary  endowment,  he  ob- 
tained in  a  good  school  a  sound  and  thorough 
education.  He  also  learned  the  lessons  of  a  high 
moral  culture  and  of  industrious  habits,  consti- 
tuting the  basis  of  integrity  and  fidelity  to  duty, 
which  marked  his  memorable  career.  His  great 
invention,  the  Reaper  which  bears  his  name,  was 
the  result  of  successful  study  and  careful  experi- 
ments, and  was  put  on  the  market  in  1839. 
During  forty-five  years  since,  by  his  eminently  ju- 
dicious management,  this  invention  has  spread 
incalculable  blessings  over  the  civilized  world. 

In  Mr.  McCormick's  character,  as  developed  in 
his  various  relations,  there  have  ever  been  pre- 
sented true  modesty,  unflinching  moral  courage, 
persistent  prosecution  of  purpose,  unwearied  in- 
dustry, indomitable  energy,  and  unblemished  in- 
tegrity. He  furnishes  a  brilliant  example  for  the 
imitation  of  young  men  in  every  walk  of  life- 
Mr.  McCormick's  success  in  life  was  accompa- 
nied by  a  generous  course  in  behalf  of  the  inter- 
ests of  collegiate  and  theological  education.  In 
the  dark  and  distressing  period  of  the  history  of 
this  Institution,  immediately  after  the  war,  he 
came    to    its   aid    with    a   generous    donation    of 


y^  RESOLUTIONS. 

^10,000,  afterwards  increased  to  ^20,000.  He  also 
endowed  a  Professorship  in  the  Union  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  by  a  donation  in  1866  of  $30,000. 
Having  by  his  great  invention  contributed  so 
fully  to  the  material  prosperity  of  the  North- 
western States,  with  a  wise  discrimination  and 
enlarged  pious  purposes  he  determined  to  in- 
crease the  ability  of  a  Theological  Seminary 
theretofore  situated  in  South  Hanover,  Indiana, 
by  effecting  its  removal  to  Chicago,  and  greatly 
adding  to  its  endowments. 

Having  succeeded  in  this  plan,  he  continued  his 
contributions  till  they  reached  nearly  $400,000. 
He  lived  to  see  the  number  of  students  reach  fifty- 
nine,  treble  the  former  attendance.  By  these  ef- 
forts he  conferred  on  that  region  of  the  country 
the  highest  and  most  durable  benefits.  "  He  now 
rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  follow  him." 

Thankful  to  the  kind  Providence  for  rearing 
up  such  a  man,  this  Board  humbly  bows  to  the 
orderings  of  the  same  wise  and  holy  Providence, 
which  has  removed  him  from  the  number  of  its 
members,  as  well  as  from  that  of  the  valued  friends 
of  the  University. 

And  it  was  ordered,  That  a  copy  of  this  Me- 
morial be  published  in  the  "  Lexington  Gazette," 


RESOL  UTIONS.  7  9 

and  that  the  "  Christian  Observer,"  the  "  Inte- 
rior," and  the  "  Central  Presbyterian  "  be  respect- 
fully requested  to  copy  it. 

And  on  the  motion  of  Bolivar  Christian, 
Resolved,  That  the  President  of  the  University 
be  requested  to  express  to  Mrs.  C.  H.  McCormick 
and  her  family,  the  desire  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees to  possess  a  portrait  of  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  Mc- 
Cormick, to  place  with  the  collection  of  the  por- 
traits of  patrons  of  the  University  now  within  its 
walls. 

Jacob  Fuller,  Secretary. 
Lexington,  Va.,  June  26,  1884. 


MINUTE  OF  THE   FACULTY  OF  WASHINGTON  AND    LEE    UNIVER- 
SITY RESPECTING  CYRUS   HALL  McCORMICK. 

Lexington,  Va.,  May  26,  1884. 

The  Faculty  have  received  with  profound  regret 
and  sorrow  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  this 
distinguished  friend  of  this  University  and  mem- 
ber of  its  Board  of  Trustees,  and  feel  it  to  be  their 
privilege  to  place  on  record  some  tribute  to  his 
memory. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  one   of  the  justly  notable 
men  of  his  generation.     His  name  is  known,  not 


8o  RESOLUTIONS. 

only  in  every  part  of  our  own  country,  but  through- 
out the  civilized  world,  and  wherever  known,  is 
mentioned  with  honor  and  gratitude,  as  associated 
with  most  beneficent  services  to  the  human  fam- 
ily. The  benefits  he  conferred  on  his  race  are 
not  to  be  estimated  by  the  value  of  the  great  in- 
vention that  bears  his  name,  merely,  but  also  by 
the  impulse  which  his  eminent  success  has  given 
to  others  possessing  genius  and  energy  akin  to 
his,  in  seeking  to  make  improvements  in  other 
departments  in  agricultural  machinery.  It  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  no  man  in  all  history  has 
achieved  so  much  for  the  progress  of  that  branch 
of  industry  which  is  universally  recognized  as  the 
basis  of  individual  comfort  and  national  prosperity. 

He  was  conspicuously  a  Christian  philanthropist. 
His  pecuniary  benefactions  to  the  institutions  of 
religion  were  frequent  and  liberal,  in  some  in- 
stances munificently  large.  Although  for  many 
years  of  his  life  residing  in  a  distant  State,  he  did 
not  lose  his  interest  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  or 
those  who  were  the  friends  and  neisfhbors  of  his 
youth.  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  Prince 
Edward  County  has  a  professorship  named  for 
him  in  commemoration  of  his  gift  of  the  funds  for 
its  endowment. 

Our  own  University,  Washington  and  Lee,  be- 


RESOLUTIONS.  8 1 

ing  situated  in  his  native  county,  was  not  over- 
looked by  him  whilst  inquiring  for  objects  on 
which  he  might  bestow  his  favors.  An  endowed 
chair  of  instruction  bearing  his  name  is  the  appro- 
priate response  of  the  University  to  his  generous 
contribution  to  its  funds. 

To  his  widow  and  children  we  tender  our  deep- 
est sympathies  in  their  sad  bereavement,  and  our 
prayers  that  the  Father  of  all  Mercies  by  his  Al- 
mighty Grace  may  be  their  stay  and  solace. 

A  copy. 

John  L.  Campbell,  Jr., 

Clerk  of  the  Factilty. 


8  2  RESOL  UTIONS. 


PRINCETON    THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY. 

MINUTE  ADOPTED   AT  THE  ANNUAL    MEETING  OF  THE  ALUMNI 
ASSOCIATION. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary, 
held  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Seminary  at  Princeton, 
May  14,  1884,  the  following  minute  was  unani- 
mously adopted  by  the  Association  :  — 

News  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick  of  Chicago  arrests  the  attention  of  this  As- 
sociation, which  has  a  mournful  interest  in  put- 
ting on  record  the  following  testimonial. 

Resolved,  ist.  That  we  express  our  deep  sense 
of  the  loss  the  Church  has  incurred  in  an  event 
which  has  removed  so  wise  a  counselor  and  so 
generous  a  promoter  of  Theological  Education  in 
the  Northwest. 

Resolved,  2d,  That  we  thank  God  for  the  ser- 
vice and  liberality  of  our  departed  brother  and  for 
his  steady  attachment  and  devotion  to  the  church 
of  his  father ;  that  we  offer  our  sympathy  to  those 
in  the  South  and  West  most  closely  associated 
with  him  in  the  advancement  of  theological   cdu- 


RESOL  UTIONS.  8  3 

cation,  and  especially  to  the  immediate  family  of 
the  deceased,  to  whom  we  respectfully  transmit  a 
copy  of  these  resolutions. 

William  E.  Schenck, 
Secretary  of  the  Alumni  Association. 


84  RESOLUTIONS. 


LAKE  FOREST  UNIVERSITY. 

RESOLUTIONS  ADOPTED  AT  A  MEETING  OF  THE  BOARD  OF 
TRUSTEES. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Lake 
Forest  University,  the  following  resolutions  were 
unanimously  adopted :  — 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Cyrus 
H.  McCormick  we  recognize  the  loss  to  the  busi- 
ness world  of  one  whose  career  has  been  almost 
unexampled  in  the  history  of  this  country,  and 
which  has  had  few  parallels  in  the  history  of  the 
world. 

By  his  death  the  cause  of  education  also  has 
lost  a  friend  whose  marked  liberality  in  this  direc- 
tion has  made  his  name  conspicuous,  and  who  has 
left  for  himself  an  enduring  monument  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

His  energy  in  business  and  his  liberality  to  ed- 
ucation were  accompanied  by  trust  in  God,  and 
an  unwavering  faith  in  the  great  fundamental 
truths  and  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Scriptures 
as  held  by  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he 
was  a  communicant  for  half  a  century. 


RES  OL  UTIONS.  8  5 

We  deem  his  life  in  those  respects  worthy  of 
emulation,  and  we  place  on  record  our  expression 
of  heartfelt  sympathy  with  the  bereaved  house- 
hold in  this  providence. 

By  order  of  the  Board, 

Samuel  D.  Ward,  Secretary. 
Chicago,  May  14,  1884. 


86  RESOLUTIONS. 


CHICAGO   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Ackerman,  for  the  Committee  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  a  memorial  notice  of  the  late 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  an  annual  member  of  this 
Society,  presented  the  following,  which  was  unani- 
mously adopted :  — 

The  Chicago  Historical  Society  places  upon  its 
records,  in  loving  memory,  this  brief  record  of  the 
life  of  its  late  member,  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick, 
who  became  a  resident  of  this  city  in  the  year 
1847,  and  who  departed  this  life  on  the  13th  of 
May,  1884. 

Life  to  him  was  a  victory  in  a  double  sense. 
Possessed  of  a  wonderful  physical  constitution,  he 
fought  its  battles  manfully,  and  overcame  every 
obstacle  in  working  out  its  great  problem  ;  and 
not  even  in  later  years,  when  bowed  down  by  the 
infirmities  of  the  flesh,  did  he  neglect  the  claims 
of  the  higher  life.  From  him  the  commands  of 
his  Master  always  received  a  loving  recognition, 
as  evidenced  by  his  many  liberal  contributions  to 
the  cause  of  religion. 

He  was  never  unmindful  of  the  duty  he  owed 


RESOLUTIONS.  87 

to  his  God,  nor  was  he  ever  ashamed  to  acknowl- 
edge Him  openly  before  men.  He  was  given  to 
hospitality,  as  many  a  poor  servant  of  Christ  can 
testify. 

He  was  a  man  of  superior  business  capacity, 
of  great  determination,  remarkable  executive  abil- 
ity, and  indomitable  courage  in  acting  upon  his 
own  convictions,  and  he  could  not  be  swerved 
from  a  conscientious  discharge  of  what  he  believed 
to  be  duty,  when  measured  by  the  standard  of 
strict  integrity. 

He  was  just  and  considerate  in  his  relations 
with  all  who  were  dependent  upon  him  for  their 
daily  bread,  and  these  gave  grateful  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  obligation  under  which  they  rested  in 
the  genuine  expression  of  sorrow  on  the  day  of  his 
burial. 

He  was  in  every  sense  a  public  benefactor  — 
his  generous  gifts  to  the  church,  to  the  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  and  to  various  benevolent  objects 
will  cause  many  to  "  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed." 

His  inventive  genius  has  given  to  mankind  that 
which  has  practically  revolutionized  farming  op- 
erations, and  established  for  him  a  reputation  over 
the  entire  civilized  world. 

With  him  the  harvest  of  life  has  ended  —  "  the 
silver  cord  is  loosed,  the  golden   bowl  is  broken." 


88  RESOLUTIONS. 

He  has  gone  to  meet  the  reward  of  that  Saviour 
whose  cause  he  so  devotedly  served  while  here  on 
earth. 

The  "  dust  has  returned  to  the  earth  as  it  was," 
and  the  spirit  has  returned  unto  the  God  who 
gave  it." 

The  foregoing  is  a  true  copy  of  the  record. 

Albert  D.  Hager,  Secretary. 


RESOLUTIONS.  89 


INTERNATIONAL  COMMITTEE   OF  YOUNG    MEN'S 
CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS. 

Cor.  23D  Street  and  4th  Avenue,  New  York. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Committee,  held  at  the  of- 
fice, May  13,  1884,  the  following  minute  was 
adopted :  — 

It  is  with  profound  regret  that  we,  members  of 
the  International  Committee,  learn  of  the  death  of 
Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  the  father  of  one  of 
our  associates  and  an  honored  and  generous  friend 
of  our  work.  And  we  desire  to  express  to  our 
friend  and  brother,  and  to  the  members  of  his  be- 
reaved family,  our  sincere  sympathy  with  them  in 
their  irreparable  loss,  assuring  them  also  of  our 
heartfelt  appreciation  of  the  Christian  character 
and  preeminent  usefulness  of  him  whose  loss  we 
mourn,  and  who  is  lamented  by  the  great  multi- 
tude, in  this  and  other  lands,  who  appreciate  what 
he  accomplished  for  the  comfort  and  well-being  of 
his  own  and  every  succeeding  generation  of  man- 
kind. 


90  RESOL  UTIONS. 


RICHFIELD    SPRINGS    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Richfield  Springs,  N.  Y.,  May  i8,  1S84. 

The  Session  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Richfield  Springs  passed  the  following  preamble 
and  resolutions :  — 

Whereas,  Our  Heavenly  Father  in  his  provi- 
dence has  been  pleased  to  remove  from  the  toils 
and  conflicts  of  the  church  militant  to  the  fellow- 
ship and  rewards  of  the  church  triumphant,  Hon. 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  for  many  years  a  resident 
of  this  village  during  the  summer,  and  a  constant 
worshiper  with  us  when  able  to  be  present,  thus 
evincing,  as  well  as  by  his  gifts,  his  interest  in  ihe 
cause  of  Christ ;  therefore 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Brother  McCor- 
mick this  church  has  lost  a  true  friend  and  a  gen- 
erous patron,  and  the  church  at  large  one  who 
was  deeply  interested  in  the  advancement  of  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom  as  shown  by  his  large  gifts 
to  collegiate  and  theological  institutions. 

Resolved,  That  we  commend  the  family  of  our 
deceased  brother  to  the  tender  sympathies  of  our 
common  Lord,  praying  that  his  grace  may  sustain 
them,  and  his  presence  comfort  them  in  this  time 
of  sorrow. 


RESOLUTIONS.  9 1 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  on 
the  pages  of  our  sessional  records,  published  in 
"  The  Interior,"  "  New  York  Evangelist,"  "  Rich- 
field  Springs  Mercury,"  and  that  a  copy  be  trans- 
mitted to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

D.  M.  Rankin,  Moderator. 
p.  K.  Hopkins,  Cla-k. 


92  RESOLUTIONS. 


HASTINGS  COLLEGE. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  Hastings  College,  Hastings,  Nebraska,  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  was  unanimously  adopted,  June 
i8,  1884:  — 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Hastings  College,  this  day  assembled  in  annual 
meeting,  record  our  gratitude  to  God  for  the  mu- 
nificent life  of  the  lamented  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  Mc- 
Cormick,  and  that  we  record  our  gratitude  that 
McCormick  Hall,  the  first  building  of  Hastings 
College,  has  been  erected  as  a  beneficent  monu- 
ment to  his  memory. 


RESOLUTIONS.  93 


THORNWELL    ORPHANAGE. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Visitors  of  the 
Thornwell  Orphanage,  CHnton,  South  CaroHna, 
the  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were 
adopted  :  — 

Whereas,  On  May  13th,  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  Mc- 
Cormick,  after  leaving  an  admonition  to  "  Work  " 
to  the  Church  of  God,  "fell  on  sleep  :  " 

Resolved,  That  his  life  was  a  benefaction  to 
mankind.  By  his  inventive  talent  he  revolution- 
ized grain-culture,  causing  millions  of  heads  of 
wheat  to  stand  where  one  stood  before,  thus  feed- 
ing the  nations.  His  youth  was  an  example  of 
purity,  industry,  and  noble  worth,  to  the  youth  of 
all  time.  His  old  age  was  a  typical  old  age,  — 
for  his  heart  was  the  heart  of  a  child,  his  head  the 
head  of  a  sage,  and  his  hand  was  a  blessing  to 
his  church  and  his  nation. 


C   yV, 


[m 


HlO/F 


'll\Mcvii'.T5uiiri'Uotc  tV\C'fiUa.|0. 


31n  apetttomm. 


From  "  77/1?  Interior.'''' 


IN    MEMORIAM. 


More  appropriate  than  this  black  line,  this  sym- 
bol of  mourning,  would  be  a  pencil  of  the  setting 
sun,  if  it  could  be  transferred  to  this  page  in  its 
roseate  radiance.  The  shock  of  bereavement  and 
grief  falls  heavily  upon  the  heart  That  strong 
hand  lies  lifeless.  That  heart  which  knew  no 
fear,  but  was  full  of  all  generous  emotions,  is  still. 
Those  keen  perceptions,  that  force  and  grasp  of 
intellect,  that  indomitable  will,  have  left  the  now 
dark  and  silent  tenement,  and  have  become  active 
and  imperishable  forces  in  higher  and  wider  fields 
of  service. 

Let  us  not  find  assuagement  for  sorrow  in  a 
eulogium  upon  the  character  of  the  beloved  father, 
brother,  and  friend  who  has  gone  away  from  us, 
but  let  us  talk  familiarly  about  him.  It  is  hard  to 
realize  that  any  change  has  come  in  his  life,  and 
that  he  is  not  with  us  yet.  To  speak  of  him  as  if 
he  were  dead,  as  if  all  our  relations  with  him  had 
suddenly  been  severed,  and  he  far  away  and  es- 
13 


98  IN  MEMORIAM. 

tranged,  would  be  to  force  the  mind  and  the  heart 
out  of  their  wonted  haunts,  and  to  compel  them 
into  unfamiliar  channels;  would  be  to  do  injustice 
to  ourselves,  our  page,  and  to  him.  Only  a  few 
days  ago  we  called  upon  him  and  found  him,  as 
usual,  occupying  his  rolling-chair,  but  surrounded 
on  this  occasion  with  a  festoon  of  ladies  who  had 
severally  called  to  pay  their  respects  to  him  and 
to  his  family.  After  their  departure,  I  said  to 
him  that  he  reminded  me  of  an  old-fashioned  bee- 
hive, just  before  swarming  time.  He  laughed  at 
the  conceit,  but  his  face  grew  grave  as  he  said, 
"  That  is  an  odd  comparison,  but  it  may  be  truer 
than  you  think."  I  did  not  at  once  understand 
the  significance  of  his  reply,  but  as  he  then  led 
the  conversation  back  to  a  topic  on  which  we  had 
conversed  a  few  days  before,  the  phenomena  of 
death,  I  have  since  thought  that  his  reply  con- 
tained even  more  than  he  intended.  He  meant 
that  there  were  indications  of  departure.  These 
proved  to  be  truly  prophetic  —  and  more,  that  the 
results  of  a  life  of  highest  usefulness  were  left  to 
benefit  and  bless  the  church  and  his  fellow-men. 
In  the  conversation  which  followed,  we  recalled 
and  related  to  each  other  what  we  remembered  of 
the  quiet  sleeping  away  of  the  dying,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  aged.    One  instance  came  to  mind  of 


IN  MEMORIAM.  99 

a  saintly  man  who  in  his  last  illness  was  impressed 
and  troubled  because  of  his  sins,  and  especially 
with  the  ingratitude  of  which  sin  is  an  evidence. 
Mr.  McCormick  said  that  we  ought  not  to  carry 
such  feelings  beyond  a  genuine  repentance,  — 
that  while  sin  was  base  ingratitude,  and  in  this 
view  doubly  heinous,  yet  we  ought  to  make  it  the 
occasion  of  double  gratitude  to  God  for  his  for- 
giveness. And  with  great  force  of  expression, 
as  was  his  wont  when  deeply  in  earnest,  he  said, 
"  They  are  not  our  sins,  and  they  do  not  per- 
tain to  us  after  Christ  has  taken  them  away. 
Does  He  not  say,  that  He  removes  them  from  us 
as  far  as  the  east  is  distant  from  the  west }  "  The 
conversation  then  fell  off  into  a  lighter  tone,  in 
which  business,  reminiscence,  and  anecdote  were 
commingled.  Mr.  McCormick  was  full  of  apt 
and  usually  humorous  illustrations,  not  a  few  of 
which  have  in  the  years  past  found  their  way  into 
these  columns.  Referring  to  something  that  "  The 
Interior "  had  said,  which  was  possibly  a  little 
hasty,  he  took  it  off  by  saying  that  the  paper  re- 
minded him  of  a  gunpowder  maker  whom  he  had 
known  in  Virginia.  "  My  powder,"  said  the  com- 
pounder of  explosives,  "  is  very  good  powder. 
It  has  only  one  fault,  and  that  is  that  it  is  just  a 
leetle  too  quick." 


lOO  IN  MEMORIAM. 

As  the  writer  looks  back  mentally,  over  the 
twelve  years  of  intimate  acquaintance  with  him, 
the  whole  vista  of  memory  seems  to  be  strewn 
with  his  vigorous  and  apt  sayings.  The  keenness 
of  his  mental  perception  was  a  frequent  surprise. 
He  would  reach  the  heart  of  a  subject  and  go  all 
around  it  while  other  minds  were  only  approach- 
ing it.  His  mind  would  be  in  advance  of  the 
words  of  those  speaking  to  him,  and  he  would 
reach  and  announce  the  result  with  almost  un- 
failing accuracy  from  the  premises  afforded  by 
one  or  two  preliminary  sentences.  This  clearness 
of  perception,  and  power  of  rapid  and  accurate 
reasoning,  in  combination  with  his  resolute  cour- 
age and  will,  were  the  chief  elements  of  his  great 
success  in  life. 

A  marked  trait  in  Mr.  McCormick's  character 
was  his  integrity  —  and  there  was  a  peculiarity 
about  it.  Like  the  righteous  man  described  by 
David,  while  he  changed  not,  though  he  had 
promised  to  his  own  hurt,  yet  he  was  very  cau- 
tious about  making  promises.  But  a  promise 
made  was  as  good  as  a  sealed  bond  to  those  who 
held  it.  When  he  said  "  I  will,"  those  who  knew 
him  needed  nothing  more,  because  he  neither  for- 
got nor  failed  to  fulfill.  While  he  would  not  com- 
mit himself  to  any  undertaking  without  investiga- 


IN  MEMORIAM.  lOl 

tion,  when  the  purpose  was  once  formed  there 
was  no  regretful  looking  back.  Discouragement 
and  difficulty  only  stimulated  his  determination. 
There  was  an  adherence  to  a  high  purpose,  not  to 
means  and  methods.  He  was  quick  to  toss  aside 
an  instrument  when  sure  of  a  better  one.  This 
integrity  of  character  reached  down  to  the  smaller 
things  of  life  and  of  business  —  hence  his  word 
was  implicitly  trusted.  Probably  a  more  reliable 
man  never  lived.  This  strength  of  character  con- 
sisted both  in  massiveness  and  in  fibre,  and  it  was 
as  manifest  when  he  lay  dying  as  when  he  was  in 
the  prime  of  his  physical  vigor.  While  the  flood 
of  life  sank  and  ebbed  away,  the  broad  and  deep 
foundations  of  his  faith  and  character  were  re- 
vealed as  never  before.  He  sous^ht  to  lift  his  be- 
loved  ones  above  the  sorrow,  as  he  was  lifted 
above  the  fear,  of  death.  He  was  through  Christ 
victorious,  in  his  last  struggle,  and  triumphed 
over  the  King  of  Terrors. 

There  was  a  combination  of  force  with  tender- 
ness in  Mr.  McCormick's  nature  which  appeared 
so  often  that  it  became  a  distinctive  trait.  No 
one  ever  went  down  in  a  conflict  with  him  of  any 
kind,  without  finding  his  conqueror  softening  his 
fall  and  immediately  lifting  him  w^.  This  also 
appeared  in  all   things,  from  the  friendly  contro- 


I02  IN  MEMORIAM. 

versies  and  repartees  of  conversation,  to  the  most 
serious  contests  of  life.  In  the  former,  he  began 
by  begging  leave  to  suggest,  and  ended  by  sub- 
mitting it  merely  as  his  opinion,  —  but  it  would 
be  a  very  mild  description  to  speak  of  what  came 
between  the  two  in  the  way  of  fact  and  argument 
as  a  suggestion  or  a  submission.  There  was  that 
chivalry  in  his  nature  which  made  him  the  friend 
of  the  weaker  party,  even  if  that  party  happened  to 
be  his  antagonist.  The  last  business  interview 
we  had  with  him  was  in  relation  to  a  young  man 
who  had  robbed  "  The  Interior,"  and  who  was  ly- 
ing in  jail.  "  If  we  can  show  mercy  to  him  with- 
out injuring  public  justice,  we  ought  to  do  it,  for 
the  sake  of  his  mother." 

I  noticed  in  Dr.  Marquis's  address  the  mention 
of  a  trait  which  must  have  impressed  many  who 
were  well  acquainted  with  him :  that  he  would 
plainly  and  candidly  say  to  a  man  that  which  he 
would  not  say  of  him.  This  was  certainly  a  rare 
trait.  Most  persons  are  content  to  make  a  virtue 
of  saying  nothing  of  a  man  which  they  would  not 
say  to  his  face.  Mr.  McCormick's  rule,  never  ex- 
pressed, but  always  practiced,  of  speaking  kindly 
of  the  absent,  and  severely,  if  justice  required  it, 
only  to  the  present,  was  as  sensible  as  it  was  rare 
and  Christian.     It  does  one  no  good  to  speak  un- 


IN  MEMORIAM.  103 

kindly  to  others  concerning  him  —  it  may  do 
good  to  rebuke  him  personally. 

Though  conscious  of  his  strength,  and  without 
fear,  Mr.  McCormick  was  ever  ready  to  make  sac- 
rifices for  the  sake  of  peace,  if  peace  could  be  had 
on  fair  and  honorable  terms ;  terms  honorable  to 
both  parties.  No  man  in  the  Presbyterian  church 
more  longed  for  unity  and  harmony  in  its  ranks. 
He  was  among  the  first  to  seek  reunion  between 
the  northern  and  southern  sections  of  the  church. 
When  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  organize  this  paper,  he 
sought  to  make  it  a  bond  of  union  across  old  divis- 
ions of  every  kind  ;  and  when  antagonisms  after- 
ward arose,  he  set  aside  all  opposing  counsels,  and 
devised  new  measures  and  pledges  of  harmony. 
It  was  a  special  pleasure  to  him  to  gather  the 
representatives  of  adverse  ideas,  or  conflicting 
interests,  around  his  hospitable  board,  and  ply 
them  with  good  cheer  and  placating  suggestions. 
"  We  will  bring  them  together,  and  if  we  cannot 
harmonize  them  before  they  part,  it  will  be  a 
wonder."  Mr.  McCormick  was  even  more  deter- 
mined a  peace-maker  than  he  was  a  war-maker, 
and  he  prized  his  victories  for  peace  more  than 
his  victories  in  conflict. 

Before  his  rheumatic  troubles  incapacitated 
him  for  it,  he  was  a  skillful  and  graceful  rider  on 


I04  IN  MEMORIAM. 

horseback.  Referring  to  the  pleasure  of  which 
he  was  thus  deprived,  he  said  that  when  a  young 
man,  he  was  fond  of  managing  intractable  horses, 
and  related  an  incident  which  occurred  in  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  had  gone  to  introduce  some  ma- 
chinery for  the  treatment  of  hemp,  invented  by 
his  father.  A  young  man  of  about  his  own  age, 
where  he  was  stopping,  owned  a  very  fine,  un- 
broken animal  of  which  he  was  afraid.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick  offered  to  ride  the  horse  home,  a  dis- 
tance of  half  a  mile,  at  noon,  if  his  owner  would 
ride  him  back.  He  accomplished  his  part  of  the 
feat,  and  after  dinner  led  the  horse  out  upon  a 
soft  lawn,  mounted  the  rider,  and  let  go  the  bits. 
In  an  instant  his  friend  was  landed  a  rod  away 
from  his  saddle,  in  the  grass.  "  I  made  sure  that 
he  would  have  a  soft  fall,"  said  Mr.  McCormick. 
All  through  life,  he  provided  "  soft  falls  "  for  those 
who  were  doomed  to  fall. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  as  strong  in  his  friend- 
ships and  affections  as  in  all  else.  Speaking  of 
Dr.  N.  L.  Rice,  he  paused  a  moment,  and  then 
exclaimed,  "  Oh,  how  I  did  love  that  man."  The 
writer  remembers  an  illustration  of  this  part  of  his 
nature,  which  occured  in  the  rush  of  work  after 
the  great  fire.  One  evening,  when  he  was  deeply 
engrossed  in  business,  at  his  home,  then  on  Shel- 


IN  ME  MORI  AM.  1 05 

don  Street,  and  a  dozen  or  more  men,  the  writer 
among  them,  were  awaiting  their  turns  for  an  in- 
terview with  him,  Mrs.  McCormick  passed  through 
the  parlor  with  her  little  Harold  in  her  arms.  He 
dropped  everything,  took  the  babe,  and  became 
absorbed  in  caressing  and  amusing  it.  His  wife 
finally  suggested  that  business  was  pressing. 
"  Well,  if  you  want  me  to  work  you  must  keep 
that  baby  away  from  me.  He  would  break  up  the 
most  promising  negotiation  in  the  world." 

I  do  not  know  whether  I  ought  to  draw  the  veil 
from  that  most  sweet  and  sacred  scene,  the  part- 
ing from  his  family.  In  a  lucid  interval —  for  he 
fell  into  unconsciousness  twenty-four  hours  before 
his  death  —  his  family  knelt  about  his  bed,  and  he 
led  them  in  worship,  and  for  praise  sang  a  stanza 
of  that  sweet,  dear  old  hynm  and  melody,  with 
which  probably  few  of  the  present  generation  are 
familiar :  — 

"  O  Thou,  in  whose  presence  my  soul  takes  delight, 
On  whom  in  affliction  I  call, 
My  comfort  by  day,  and  my  song  in  the  night, 
My  hope,  my  salvation,  my  all." 

How  appropriate  and  expressive !  and  how  that 
sweetest  of  the  old  melodies  comes  back  to  us 
from  the  past !     He  had  sung  it  often  and  often 


io6  IN  MEMORIAM. 

in  the  bloom  of  youth,  and  in  the  prime  of  man- 
hood, and  now,  as  he  was  about  to  enter  upon  im- 
mortal youth,  it  came  back  to  him  again  and 
voiced  his  inexpressible  trust  and  love.  Then 
takinQT  the  hands  of  one  and  another  of  his  chil- 
dren,  murmuring  "  Dearest  one,"  he  last  took  the 
hand  of  his  wife.  "  Dearest  one  of  all,"  he  said, 
and  so  fell  on  sleep. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  indisposed  to  any  ostenta- 
tious display.  He  postponed  the  erection  of  the 
solid  and  noble  residence  in  which  he  died  — 
neither  he  nor  Mrs.  McCormick  caring  to  have 
anything  so  fine,  but  he  said  apologetically  of  it 
that  "  My  friends  insisted  that  I  owed  something 
to  art  and  to  the  beauty  of  the  city,  and  they 
called  it  '  a  cause,'  and  so  I  began  it.  For  myself, 
my  occupancy  and  enjoyment  of  it  will  be  very 
brief."  Strong  and  brave  as  that  dear  man  was, 
his  cheeks  were  no  stranger  to  tears, — 

"  The  bravest  are  the  tenderest, 
The  loving  are  the  daring." 

But  I  must  pause.  There  would  scarcely  be  an 
end  of  these  delightful  reminiscences,  and  I  have 
only  recalled  a  few  from  my  own  memory  out  of  a 
brief  section  of  his  life.  His  public  career  is  fa- 
miliar to  the  public,  and  some  who  knew  nothing 


IN  MEMORIAM.  107 

of  him  but  of  his  force  of  mind  and  character  may 
have  regarded  him  as  only  an  embodiment  of  force. 
Twelve  years  of  close  intimacy  with  him  revealed 
the  precious  and  abundant  wealth  of  his  tender 
and  generous  heart,  and  sustained  a  profound  and 
constantly  deepening  love  for  him.  In  compar- 
ison with  these  treasures  of  his  soul,  his  wealth 
and  world-wide  fame  sink  into  insignificance. 
These  inner  and  imperishable  treasures  were 
wealth  which  he  carried  with  him  across  the  river 
of  death.  His  munificent  benefactions,  known  to 
the  world,  and  his  constant  responses  to  the  ap- 
peals of  charity,  known  but  to  the  few  and  the  in- 
timate—  even  they  were  but  the  leaves  of  the  tree 
of  life  implanted  in  his  soul,  and  which  will  yield 
its  varied  fruits  forever,  in  "  the  land  o'  the  leal." 
All  that  is  earthly  fades.  Dust  even  now  returns 
to  its  dust,  and  with  it  wealth  and  fame  are  no 
more  to  him ;  but  that  integrity,  that  dauntless 
courage,  that  intellectual  power,  that  tender  heart, 
that  magnanimous  spirit  —  these  qualities  of  that 
dear  and  noble  soul  are  shining  and  will  shine,  as 
the  stars,  for  ever  and  ever. 

W.  C.  Gray. 


lo8  IN  MEMORIAM. 


[From  "  T/ie  Central  Presbyieriati.''^'\ 
REMINISCENCES  OF  CYRUS  H.  McCORMICK. 

When  the  historian  of  the  future  comes  to  speak 
of  the  great  Americans  who  have  done  the  most 
to  develop  the  resources  of  their  own  broad,  rich 
territory,  who  have  offered  to  the  whole  world 
the  greatest  facilities  for  commercial  enterprise 
and  social  intercourse,  and  who  have  succeeded 
the  best  in  lightening  the  burdens  of  mankind,  by 
the  side  of  Franklin  and  Fulton  and  Joseph 
Henry  and  Morse,  they  will  not  forget  to  mention 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick.  Wherever  the  golden 
wheat  rustles  in  the  breeze,  the  panting  toilers 
under  a  hot  sun  will  hail  him  as  their  benefactor. 
It  is  not  from  this  standpoint,  however,  that  I  am 
viewing  him.  Others  will  tell  of  him  as  a  me- 
chanical genius,  as  a  zealous  churchman,  as  a  mu- 
nificent patron  of  secular  and  theological  educa- 
tion, and  as  a  wise,  patriotic,  influential,  and  phil- 
anthropic citizen;  but  now  that  the  grave  has 
closed  over  him,  I  would  speak  to  others,  with 
something  of  the  pleasure  with  which  I  spoke  to 
him,  of  certain  traits  of  his  character  which  struck 
me  as  valuable  and  attractive. 


IN  ME  MORI  AM.  109 

We  were  old  friends.  I  knew  him  in  his 
early  manhood,  when  the  idea  of  the  great  reaper 
seemed  to  us  "the  bee  in  his  bonnet;"  again, 
during  his  tedious  waiting  upon  Congress  for  his 
patent ;  and  later  on,  in  his  happy  home  in  New 
York. 

Unquestionably  he  was  a  man  of  noble  intel- 
lect. The  inventive  faculty  of  his  mind  was  not, 
as  may  have  been  supposed,  an  independent  attri- 
bute, over-riding  all  the  others,  and  achieving  suc- 
cess by  its  individual  superiority.  It  was  but  one 
of  a  number  of  qualities  wonderfully  blended,  and 
in  measure  and  tone  and  strength  adjusted  with 
such  consummate  delicacy  and  precision  as  to 
make,  in  their  combination,  what  we  felt  to  be  his 
genius.  He  had  logical,  analytical,  and  executive 
power,  an  almost  unerring  judgment,  an  indomi- 
table will,  and  a  patience  that  could  not  be  over- 
thrown. To  these  was  added  that  rare  gift  of  men- 
tal confidence  which,  spurning  self-conceit,  and 
disdaining  self-distrust,  enabled  him,  with  practi- 
cal fairness,  to  determine  the  extent  of  his  abilities, 
and  estimate  what  he  might  expect  from  them. 
Within  these  bounds  he  was  bold  in  his  schemes 
and  prodigious  in  his  work  ;  sparing  no  labor  and 
neglecting  no  detail,  however  small,  that  was  nec- 
essary to  the  full   accomplishment  of  his  wishes. 


no  IN  MEMORIAM. 

And  he  demanded  thorough  ^ox\i\  2.  certain  in- 
tegrity of  purpose  ran  through  everything  he  did, 
furnishing  the  key  that  would  open  his  whole  char- 
acter and  explain  much  in  his  conduct  to  others. 
He  hated  shams  ;  practiced  none  himself  nor  al- 
lowed any  in  any  of  his  belongings.  When  first 
visiting  him  in  the  city  of  New  York,  many  years 
ago,  I  found  him  less  interested  in  what  was  ele- 
gant and  advantageous  in  the  location  and  ap- 
pointments of  his  handsome  house,  than  in  the  sta- 
bility of  its  material  and  the  skill  and  finish  of  its 
workmanship.  His  moral  nature  was  of  the  same 
type,  in  this  particular,  as  the  intellectual ;  his 
kindness  and  sympathy,  his  hospitality  and  loy- 
alty, his  affection  and  generosity  were  all  instinct 
with  the  same  principle.  His  religion  also  was 
pervaded  by  it ;  indeed,  through  the  labyrinth  of 
his  whole  nature  this  thread  guided  the  way. 

At  the  time  of  the  visit  referred  to,  he  was  in 
his  massive  strength,  bearing  the  weight  of  an  im- 
mense business.  To  me  it  seemed  sufficient  to 
exclude  every  other  thought,  yet  I  found  he  did 
not  allow  it  to  excuse  him  from  important  domes- 
tic cares  ;  and  I  was  often  gratified  and  surprised 
to  see  how  much  he  bore  my  personal  pleasure 
upon  his  mind,  and  how  constantly  he  was  carry- 
ing out  new  ways  to  secure  it ;   doing  it  all  too 


IN  MEMORIAM.  1 1 1 

with  such  delicate  tact  as  to  forbid  the  jar  of  a 
suspicion  on  my  part  that  these  attentions  crowded 
yet  more  the  already  full  routine  of  daily  pressing 
duties.  The  thing  that  struck  me  most,  however, 
was  the  religious  aspect  of  the  family,  and  I  often 
remarked  afterward  that  I  had  never  seen  children 
more  conscientiously  and  successfully  trained,  nor 
the  Sabbath  anywhere  kept  with  an  air  of  greater 
consecration.  The  good  old  Scotch-Irish  Presby- 
terian strictness  in  which  both  he  and  I  had  been 
reared  in  the  valley  of  Virginia,  Mr.  McCormick 
had  transplanted  to  his  home  in  the  rushing  com- 
mercial metropolis  of  the  Union.  Of  course  the 
mother  of  the  little  family  was  an  admirable  col- 
league, still  he  did  not  shift  upon  her  his  respon- 
sibility, but  stood  at  his  proper  post  as  watchman 
over  his  own  household. 

Subsequently  we  strengthened  our  friendship 
by  occasional  meetings,  but  in  the  summer  of  last 
year  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  again,  after  along 
interval,  his  guest  at  Richfield  Springs.  In  the 
intervening  years  violent  illnesses  had  so  far 
impaired  his  physical  powers  that  he  could  no 
longer  take  a  step  without  assistance.  He  was 
confined  to  a  rolling  chair,  and  moved  about  by 
a  servant.  After  the  first  pained  surprise  at  his 
condition,  every  hour  brought  back  to  me  his  old- 


112  IN  MEMORIAM. 

time  look  and  manner.  He  was  eminently  him- 
self in  spite  of  his  feeble  voice  and  constrained 
posture,  and  now,  while  my  sympathy  was  ever 
going  out  to  him,  my  respect  and  regard  grew  in- 
creasingly higher  and  warmer,  day  after  day. 

The  religious  element  in  his  character  had 
long  been  the  one  in  which  I  took  most  interest, 
and  had  watched  with  most  eagerness.  It  had 
run  the  gauntlet  of  oft-repeated  struggle,  disap- 
pointment, and  failure  without  loss  and  without 
stain.  It  had  been  subjected  to  the  severer  ordeal 
of  many  splendid  and  varied  successes,  and  come 
out  from  it  clear  and  clean.  But  how  will  it  be 
now,  I  questioned,  when  God  has  laid  His  hand 
upon  him,  withering  his  strength  and  destroy- 
ing his  physical  independence.  I  soon  found, 
however,  that  in  his  age  and  weakness  the  dear 
Master  to  whose  service  he  had  given  his  best 
days  had  not  deserted  him.  The  stalwart  period 
of  his  life  had  passed,  and  with  it,  the  hardy,  ag- 
gressive Christianity  that  it  required  ;  and  now, 
near  the  twilight,  his  piety  had  fallen  into  a  softer, 
ijentler  tone.  From  out  the  burden  and  heat 
of  his  exciting  day  he  had  come  into  the  quiet 
eventide  of  life  in  which  "  they  labor  too,  who  only 
stand  and  wait."  He  was  thoroughly  submissive 
under  his  restrictions,  cheerful,  unembittered,  alive 


IN  MEMORIAM.  i  1 3 

to  the  interests  of  others,  kind,  sympathizing  as 
ever,  and  patient.  "  How  patient  you  are,"  I  said 
to  him  once,  under  some  unexpected  manifestation 
of  that  quahty.  "  Patient  ?  "  he  repeated  with  sur- 
prise, "  why,  it  behooves  me  to  be  patient."  In 
his  own  view  only  the  "  unprofitable  servant "  af- 
ter all !  On  another  occasion  he  exclaimed,  in  a 
sort  of  apologetic  tone  for  what  he  considered 
some  shortcoming  in  what  he  was  doing,  "  Ah, 
you  see  I  am  good  for  nothing  now !  "  A  young 
lady  who,  unperceived,  was  standing  behind  him, 
tapped  him  gently  on  the  head  and  whispered, 
"  You  are  all  right  here,  at  any  rate."  The  grate- 
ful smile  that  lighted  his  face,  and  the  tear  that 
glistened  in  his  eye,  was  his  immediate  and  elo- 
quent response. 

His  summer  home  bore  testimony  to  his  exquis- 
ite taste.  It  was  in  a  region  where  nature  was 
prodigal  of  her  gifts.  "  Open  your  blinds  in  the 
morning,  for  the  view,"  one  of  the  ladies  said  to 
me  the  night  of  my  arrival.  "  Nothing  can  surpass 
our  Virginia  mountains,"  was  my  loyal,  though 
unspoken  retort.  In  the  morning  I  rose  languidly 
to  fulfill  my  promise.  In  a  moment  every  sense 
was  alive  in  worshipful  admiration  of  a  prospect 
from  which  nothing  beautiful  was  absent.  But 
the  master-spirit  in  this  lovely  home  was  the  fee- 
15 


114  I^^  MEMORIAM. 

ble  old  man  in  the  rolling-chair.  The  same  won- 
der-working power  of  detail  was  as  characteristic 
of  his  sympathy  as  of  his  mechanical  labor,  and 
gave  him  a  sort  of  universal  presence  in  the 
house.  If  I  had  marvelled  years  before  that  a 
busy  man  had  "  had  leisure  from  himself  "  for  the 
grateful,  minute  cares  of  hospitality,  I  had  much 
more  cause  for  wonder  now,  that  a  sick  man  had 
so  much  unselfish  thoughtfulness  to  bestow  upon 
the  comfort  and  enjoyment  of  the  large  number  of 
widely  different  guests  gathered  under  his  roof. 

I  poorly  represent  his  kindness  if  I  fail  to  bring 
to  view  the  self-denials  of  it.  It  often  taxed  him 
severely  in  time  and  exertion.  It  was  not  the 
mere  impulse  of  a  natural  endowment,  and  a  sort 
of  recreation,  it  was  the  out-giving  of  a  high-strung 
principle  which  had  been  carefully  cultivated  by 
incessant  exercise.  A  female  inventor  called  one 
day  for  an  interview.  When  the  hour  came  he 
listened  to  her  small  affair  with  unaffected  atten- 
tion, and  with  his  strong  judgment  gave  his  coun- 
sel. It  was  a  striking  picture.  There  was  no  su- 
percilious manner  in  the  great  inventor  towards 
the  lowly  one  —  no  haughty  impatience  of  her  nar- 
row talent  and  small  beginnings,  but  the  courtliest 
courtesy  and  most  genuine  concern  encouraged 
her  confidence  and  excited  our  admiration. 


IN  MEMORIAM.  1 1 5 

He  seemed  never  to  lose  the  memory  of  his 
own  tussle,  as  an  inventor,  with  many  a  difficulty 
and  defeat  before  he  won  his  victory,  and  always 
retained  the  warmest  regard  for  those  who  had  in 
any  degree  furthered  or  cheered  him  in  his  early 
undertaking.  In  a  most  unusual  way  he  would 
seem  to  me  to  exaggerate  the  benefits  he  had  re- 
ceived, as  with  his  old  vehemence  he  would  re- 
late some  of  them  to  me.  Except  perhaps.  Rev. 
Dr.  William  S.  Plumer,  he  possessed,  more  than 
any  other  man  I  ever  knew,  a  loving  sense  of  ob- 
ligation to  the  friends  who  had  served  him  in  try- 
ing periods  of  his  history. 

I  found  his  respectful  observance  of  the  Sab- 
bath undiminished  by  his  long  contact  with  the 
world  and  its  business  and  honors.  Although 
during  the  week  he  never  joined  us  until  the  af- 
ternoon, yet  when  Sunday  came  he  was  the  first 
person  ready,  and  his  rolling-chair  was  waiting  at 
the  foot  of  the  incline  which  he  had  been  allowed 
to  build  from  a  side  door  of  the  church  to  the  car- 
riage-way, when  his  carriage  reached  the  door. 
As  he  was  rolled  to  a  place  near  the  pulpit,  he 
went  early,  I  thought,  to  avoid  observation ;  for, 
with  all  his  courage,  he  was  a  modest  man.  He 
enjoyed  the  privilege  of  public  worship,  and  when 
so  many  pleasures  were  beyond  his  reach,  I  was 


1X6  IN  MEMORIAM. 

truly  glad  that  this  was  spared  to  him.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  service  the  people  gathered 
about  him  with  a  heartiness  of  greeting  that  must 
have  been  grateful  to  him. 

He  delighted  in  music  at  all  times,  and  often  in 
the  evening  would  join  the  circle  at  the  piano ; 
but  especially  on  Sunday  evening  he  enjoyed  it, 
and  nothing  could  be  more  pathetic  than  the  vim 
with  which  he  sang  his  favorite  verses  of  the 
hymns,  and  united  in  the  doxology. 

Somewhat  removed  from  the  gay  group  of 
young  people,  he  would  talk  with  me  of  the  old 
friends  and  home  in  Virginia.  On  such  themes 
he  seemed  to  break  away  from  his  physical 
shackles,  and  roam  over  the  old  ground  with  the 
glow  and  vitality  of  youth.  The  spell  was  but 
momentary.  Even  then,  though  exempted  from 
acute  pain,  at  any  hour,  his  physicians  thought, 
the  summons  might  come.  He  had  a  keen  de- 
sire for  life  and  toiled  resolutely  to  protect  and 
prolong  it.  He  had  great  aims  he  wished  to  ac- 
complish, and  up  to  the  last  was  planning  and 
performing  much  for  the  good  of  man  and  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  Church  of  God.  But  when 
death  came,  it  found  him  ready  for  the  change, 
and  the  simple  sentence  that  reached  me,  "  There's 
nothing  now  but  heaven,"  had  in  it  the  tenderness 


IN  ME  MORI  AM.  I  I  7 

of  all  earthly  farewells,  with  the  clear  ring  of  a 
calm  and  assured  faith. 

In  his  long  life  and  with  his  large  means,  he 
did  much  for  his  family,  his  country,  his  church, 
and  his  race  ;  and  the  world  is  the  better  and  the 
happier  for  his  coming  into  it. 

S.  C.  P.  Miller. 


Il8  IN  MEMORIAM. 


As  the  gnarled  oak  of  stately  form  and  size, 

With  strong  and  sheltering  and  widespreading  arm, 
Protecting  travelers  from  the  beating  storm, 

Stands  forth,  a  giant  midst  surrounding  trees ;  — 

As  in  the  eventide,  when  day  is  done. 

The  full  cathedral  choir  their  anthems  raise, 
And  with  harmonious  chant  their  Maker  praise, 

And  the  sweet  benison  of  life  is  sung;  — 

So  hast  thou  braved  the  storm  of  passing  years. 
Protecting  weaker  comrades  in  the  strife;  — 
So,  in  the  evening  of  thy  noble  life, 

The  harmony  of  thy  great  thoughts  and  deeds  appears. 

C. 


iLo\)ing  Ctiftutes 


LOVING    TRIBUTES. 


Princeton.  N.  J.,  May  31,  1884. 

My  dear  Mrs.  McCormick,  —  I  have  thought 
of  you  and  yours  very  often,  and  aUvays  with  ten- 
derest  sympathy,  since  the  news  reached  me  that 
your  dear  husband  had  passed  away.  I  can  un- 
derstand how  great  your  bereavement  is,  and  how 
heavy  the  blow  must  be,  even  though  God  in  his 
Providence  had  in  a  measure  prepared  you  for  it 
in  these  last  years  of  Mr.  McCormick's  declining 
strength.  I  know  too,  that  acceptable  as  sympa- 
thy always  is,  human  words  have  little  power  to 
lighten  grief  God  alone  can  heal  the  wounds  of 
sorrow. 

I  cannot  but  feel  that,  alike  in  the  circumstances 
of  his  life  and  of  his  death,  Mr.  McCormick  has 
been  highly  favored ;  and  you,  I  am  sure,  must 
feel,  when  you  reflect  upon  his  career,  that  grati- 
tude has  a  right  to  triumph  over  grief 

It  is  given  to  few  men  to  live  a  life  that  is  char- 
acterized by  all  the  elements  of  honorable  success. 
16 


122  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

Such  a  life,  however,  Mr.  McCormick's  was.  By 
common  consent  he  occupies  a  place  among  the 
immortal  names  in  the  history  of  invention. 

He  lived  to  witness  the  successful  establishment 
of  the  Theological  Seminary  which  had  been  the 
object  of  his  benefactions,  and  of  whose  future, 
even  in  its  darkest  hours,  he  was  never  known  to 
doubt.  And  now,  in  the  fullness  of  years,  amid 
the  sorrowful  regrets  of  a  great  city,  and  a  power- 
ful Christian  denomination,  he  has  gone  down  to 
an  honored  grave. 

There  are  elements  in  his  life  which  make 
that  life  almost  unique.  And  yet,  were  this  all 
that  could  be  said,  those  who  loved  him  would 
find  but  little  satisfaction  in  the  story  of  his 
worldly  successes.  But  this  is  not  all,  nor  is  it 
even  the  best  that  can  be  said ;  and  gratifying  as 
his  career  must  doubtless  be  to  you,  I  am  sure 
that  the  feature  in  his  life  upon  which  you  dwell 
longest,  and  in  which  you  find  most  comfort  now, 
is  his  persistent  loyalty  to  God,  and  his  unobtru- 
sive but  unfaltering  faith  in  Christ. 

What  a  tender,  impressive  manifestation  of  that 
faith  was  given  in  the  closing  hours  of  his  life, 
when,  standing  upon  the  bank  of  the  river  which 
he  was  soon  to  cross,  he  lifted  up  his  heart  in 
prayer  and  commended  his  family  to  God  !   What 


LOVING   TRIBUTES.  1 23 

a  precious  memory  that  last  religious  service  must 
be  to  you  and  your  children.  May  God  comfort 
you  and  them.  May  he  lead  them  all  to  love  and 
fear  their  father's  God  ;  and  may  their  lives  be 
spared  as  his  was,  for  long  years  of  honor  and 
usefulness. 

I  remain,  my  dear  Mrs.  McCormick,  ever  very 
faithfully  yours,  Francis  L.  Patton. 

New  York,  May  14,  1884. 

My  dear  Mrs.  McCormick,  —  At  length  has 
come  that  for  which  God  in  his  Providence  has 
been  preparing  your  mind,  and  under  which  His 
grace  will  sustain  you.  You  have,  you  know,  our 
deepest  sympathy,  but  better  far,  you  have  the 
close,  tender  sympathy  of  Him  who  took  our  na- 
ture and  knows  its  susceptibilities. 

You  will  remember  that  your  husband  had  the 
preparation  of  spirit  required  for  the  change,  that 
Divine  Grace  had  given  him  great  usefulness, 
that  he  had  been  in  an  extraordinary  degree  per- 
mitted to  see  it,  and  that  you  have  the  fullest  as- 
surance now  that  he  is  with  his  Father  in  heaven, 
in  the  presence  of  Him  whom  he  had  trusted. 
There  is  nothing  as  to  him  over  which  to  be  de- 
pressed. There  is  good  reason  for  ample  joy,  and 
for  keen  sympathy  with  the  happiness  of  his  now 


124  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

perfected  being.     His  highest  aspirations  for  him- 
self are  now  realized  to  the  full. 

Praise  God  for  all  this ;  and,  need  I  say  it  ? 
trust  Him  for  all  the  future. 

Yours  in  the  blessed  truth,  J.  Hall. 

Princeton  College,  May  17,  1884. 

My  dear  Mrs.  McCormick,  —  Little  did  I 
think,  when  I  lately  spent  those  two  pleasant  days 
with  you,  that  your  dear  husband  and  my  friend 
should  be  so  suddenly  called  away  from  us. 

But  the  will  of  God  be  done.  However  hard 
you  will  be  able  to  say  so. 

You  will  miss  his  society.  But  you  had  the 
satisfaction  of  waiting  upon  him  (which  no  doubt 
was  an  unspeakable  gratification  to  him)  to  the 
last. 

Infirmities  were  evidently  growing  upon  him, 
though  he  looked  fresh  when  I  saw  him,  and  life 
could  not  have  been  a  pleasure  to  him  much 
longer.  So  God  took  him  to  himself  You  can- 
not but  mourn  the  separation,  but  you  will  lean  on 
the  arm  of  Jesus  as  your  beloved,  and  thus  hold 
on  your  way  through  the  wilderness,  with  the 
earth  beneath  your  feet,  and  heaven  in  your  eyes. 

He  had  finished  his  work.  That  reaping  ma- 
chine has  been  an  immense  blessing  to  the  coun- 


LOVING   TRIBUTES.  125 

try.  His  monument  will  be  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Chicago.  I  am  so  glad  that  you 
took  me  to  visit  it  when  I  was  at  Chicago.  It 
has  won  the  confidence  of  the  whole  church.  It 
is  sure  to  be  permanent.  It  will,  centuries  hence, 
be  sending  forth  men  to  preach  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ. 

The  younger  children  will  now  be  entirely  un- 
der your  care.  God  will  enable  you  to  do  this  re- 
sponsible work.  Mrs.  McCosh  sympathizes  with 
you.  Please  show  this  letter  to  your  son.  He 
will  imitate  his  father  in  doing  good. 

Yours  truly,  James  McCosh. 

My  dear  Mrs.  McCormick,  —  As  I  sat  in  the 
Seminary  chapel  yesterday,  witnessing  the  closing 
exercises  of  the  institution,  a  paper  was  handed  to 
me  with  a  notice  of  Mr.  McCormick's  death.  I 
could  not  hear  it  without  a  thrill  of  pain  at  the 
sense  of  my  own  loss,  as  the  uppermost  feeling,  of 
a  friend  so  kind  and  true  and  tried ;  one  of  such 
long  standing,  of  such  affectionate  judgment  of 
me,  and  whose  interest  in  my  welfare  was  always 
so  warm  and  reliable.  I  have  no  such  friend  left. 
Some  years  ago  a  dear  old  friend  of  this  same 
type,  only  more  closely  allied  and  less  separated 
by  distance,  passed   away,  and  to    my  feeling  of 


126  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

bereavement  was  added  the  fact,  that  of  such 
friends  few  remained  to  me.  Now  I  have  none, 
and  the  circle  of  my  contemporaries  too  is  fast 
narrowing  its  bounds.  But  however  painful  the 
parting,  there  is,  if  we  be  Christians,  a  certain  and 
joyous  meeting  hereafter. 

As  regards  my  much  valued  friend  himself,  I 
cannot  be  sorrowful.  He  has  had  a  life  full  of 
enterprise,  of  labor,  of  vicissitude,  of  struggle,  and 
of  much  physical  suffering.  Amid  much  sus- 
pense and  defeat,  he  has,  in  the  Providence  of 
God,  been  permitted  to  win  great  successes.  He 
has  by  his  genius  and  toil  been  a  benefactor  to 
his  race.  He  has  built  up  a  character  of  rare 
integrity  ;  and  having  been  early  aroused  to  relig- 
ious convictions,  has  held  to  them  with  great  te- 
nacity in  the  face  of  wonderful  temptations,  and 
exemplified  their  power  in  his  life,  both  public 
and  private.  He  has  testified  to  them  too,  in  the 
generous  use  of  his  large  means,  and  when  God 
laid  his  hand  upon  him  as  in  these  last  years,  how 
touchingly  the  gentler  traits  of  piety  shone  out ! 
And  now,  after  all  these  long  labors,  faithfully  en- 
gaged in  to  the  very  last,  it  is  all  right  that  he 
should  be  taken  to  his  rest. 

I  feel  a  pleasure  in  the  thought  that  the  toil  of 
living,  —  the  restless  nights,  the  rolling  chair  with 


LOVING    TRIBUTES.  127 

its  many  wraps,  the  night-watch,  the  cares  of  a 
great  business,  and  the  thousand  tender  anxieties 
for  the  family,  are  all  over  forever. 

And  who  of  us  can  understand  what  is  the 
glory  comprehended  in  that  change,  when  "  this 
mortal  shall  have  put  on  immortality  !  " 

But  though  it  is  all  happy  for  him,  yet  his 
home  is  darkened,  the  church  mourns,  and  many 
a  good  cause  will  weep  its  loss.  But  to  his  chil- 
dren, his  noble  character  will  be  a  greater  o-nod 
than  his  splendid  genius,  and  his  prayers  and  pi- 
ety a  richer  inheritance  than  his  estate.  The 
older  ones  will  know  this,  and  the  dear  little  boys 
will  be  taught  it  not  only  by  them  and  you,  but 
may,  if  they  live,  have  it  brought  to  their  minds 
by  the  providences  of  their  personal  history.  And 
thus  the  memory  of  him  will  grow  in  strength 
and  tenderness  as  the  years  roll  on. 
Your  affectionate  friend, 

S.  C.  P.  Miller. 
Princeton,  May  15,  1884. 

St.  Louis,  Jime  5,  1884. 

Mrs.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  : 

Dear  Madam,  —  Do  not  think  me  unmindful 
of  your  great  affliction  and  our  common  loss,  that 
I  come  so  late  to  express  my  sincere  sympathy 


128  LOVING    TRIBUTES. 

with  you.  I  was  on  my  way  to  the  Assembly  when 
I  heard  of  the  death  of  your  honored  and  noble 
husband,  and  the  circumstances  of  travel  prevented 
me  from  doing  what  my  heart  prompted,  —  to  write 
immediately.  The  sad  tidings  came  to  me  as  a 
great  surprise ;  for,  though  he  had  long  carried  the 
burden  of  his  infirmity  (and  with  what  singular  pa- 
tience !)  I  had  still  hoped  that  his  great  vigor,  both 
of  mind  and  body,  would  serve  to  continue  his  life 
for  many  years.  But  now  he  is  gone  from  us,  the 
stalwart  man,  so  strong  in  will,  conviction,  pur- 
pose, faith,  and  affection.  I  can  assure  you  that 
there  is  a  wide-spread  grief,  and  a  deep  sense  of 
loss,  throughout  the  country  and  the  church,  in 
view  of  his  removal.  And  yet,  what  is  this  pub- 
lic sorrow  to  that  which  overshadows  your  own 
home }  There,  where  the  light  of  his  presence  is 
gone  out,  the  darkness  is  most  intense.  Your 
heart  in  its  loneliness  tells  you  how  much  you 
have  lost,  and  the  slowly  passing  days  reveal  more 
and  more  the  greatness  of  your  bereavement. 

But  I  would  not,  dear  madam,  say  anything  to 
increase  your  sense  of  sorrow  and  loss.  The 
rather  would  I  ask  you  to  consider  the  things 
that  remain  for  your  consolation,  and  of  which 
death  cannot  rob  you.  There  is  the  memory  of 
your   husband's  life,  so  full   of  manly  effort  and 


LOVING   TRIBUTES.  129 

noble  achievement ;  a  life  rich  in  blessing  to  the 
world  of  labor,  and  above  all,  so  useful  to  the 
church.  This  is  your  possession  forever,  and  it  is 
a  comfort  to  know  that  the  world  is  better  from 
the  ministry  of  your  husband. 

What  a  rich  legacy  he  has  left  to  your  children, 
—  the  heritao;e  of  a  noble  name  enrolled  among 
the  benefactors  of  the  race.  Again,  how  sweet  the 
comfort  that,  as  he  lived  the  Christian's  life,  so  he 
died  the  Christian's  death.  I  have  been  touched 
to  tears  in  reading  the  account  of  his  last  hours, 
and  I  have  rejoiced  in  his  testimony  to  the  grace 
of  God.  Surely  you  can  rejoice  while  you  weep,  in 
thinking  of  the  gain  that  has  come  to  him  through 
death.  Hope,  too,  is  yours,  for  in  a  "  little  while  " 
you  shall  see  him  again. 

Your  bereavement  also  brings  you  into  a  new 
relation  to  God.  He  is  "  the  God  of  the  widow, 
and  the  Father  of  the  fatherless."  What  2:racious 
and  loving  titles  does  the  Eternal  wear  for  the 
consolation  of  his  afflicted  ones  !  And  now  it  is 
your  privilege  to  deal  with  Him  by  these  titles. 
But  pardon  me  my  many  words ;  I  wish  only  to 
assure  you  and  your  sorrowing  children,  of  my 
sincere  sympathy,  and  to  mingle  my  tears  with 
yours  over  a  common  loss,  for  there  has  fallen  "a 
prince  and  a  great  man  in  Israel."  Praying  God 
17 


130  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

our  Father  to  comfort  you,  and  to  keep  you  all  in 
this  sore  trial, 

I  am,  yours  in  Christ, 

Samuel  J.  Niccolls. 

My  dear  Mrs.  McCormick,  —  I  feel  as  if  my 
relations  to  Mr.  McCormick  warrant  me  to  ex- 
press my  most  heartfelt  sympathies  in  your  pro- 
found grief.  Your  husband  was  a  gifted,  large- 
minded,  and  noble,  as  well  as  a  greatly  disting- 
uished man ;  and  wielded  from  his  invalid  chair 
vast  interests  connected  with  the  world's  industry, 
national  politics,  and  Christian  institutions. 

Our  entire  Faculty  joins  with  me  in  this  expres- 
sion of  sympathy  with  you  in  your  bereavement 
and  in  earnest  prayers  for  the  Divine  blessing  on 
you  and  yours. 

Very  respectfully  and  sincerely  yours, 

Thomas  H.  Skinner. 

Chicago,  May  15,  1884. 

Utica,  June  23,  1884. 

To  Mrs.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick: 

My  dear  Madam,  —  111  health  has  prevented 
me  until  this  late  day  from  expressing  my  sorrow 
at  the  death  of  your  husband.  I  held  him  in  high 
regard  as  a  man,  and  I  valued  him  as  a  friend. 


LOVING   TRIBUTES.  1 31 

His  genius  and  his  services  to  the  public,  as  well 
as  his  character,  will  long  preserve  his  memory. 
I  sympathize  with  you  in  your  great  loss.  I  hope 
and  pray  it  may  be  alleviated  by  many  blessings. 
It  will  ever  be  a  source  of  gratification  to  you  and 
his  family,  that  Mr.  McCormick's  triumphs  were 
of  great  value  to  his  whole  country.  Few  have 
been  able  to  serve  their  fellow  citizens  in  ways  so 
beneficent  to  all  classes. 

I  am  with  very  great  respect,  yours  truly, 

Horatio  Seymour. 

Cincinnati,  June  13,  1884. 

Dear  Mr.  McCormick,  —  I  have  read  the 
sketches  of  your  father  with  much  interest.  To 
one  accustomed  to  regard  your  father's  achieve- 
ments in  the  industrial  arts,  and  having  some 
means  of  appreciating  the  revolutions  in  those 
arts  of  which  he  was  the  master  spirit,  there  is 
something  deeply  impressive  and  suggestive  in 
these  testimonials,  witnessing  how  all  was  sur- 
mounted by  the  great  philanthropic  and  religious 
enterprises  to  which  his  mature  thought  and 
strength  were  dedicated ;  and  how  the  same  wis- 
dom, energy,  and  firmness  of  purpose  directed  and 
wrought  success  out  of  these  enterprises. 

His  life  is  in  so  many  worthy  aspects  represen- 


132  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

tative  of  the  century,  three-fourths  of  which  it 
spanned  —  a  century  distinguished  above  all  oth- 
ers for  its  inventions,  its  material  progress,  and 
the  extent  and  variety  of  its  charities  —  and  it  so 
thoroughly  illustrates  the  harmony  between  the 
largest  business  success  and  persistent  and  consci- 
entious philanthropy ;  between  the  faculty  which 
utilizes  material  agencies  and  the  faith  which  rec- 
ognizes divine  supremacy ;  between  the  self-reli- 
ance which  commands  men  and  the  humility 
which  worships  God  —  that  it  affords  a  rich 
theme  for  memorial  discourses,  one  especially 
fitting  to  be  presented  before  the  students  of  the 
colleges  which  are  indebted  to  him  for  endow- 
ments. 

In  the  course  which  begun  among  the  hills  of 
the  Old  Dominion,  and  was  finished  in  the  high 
places  of  the  metropolis  of  the  New  Northwest, 
there  must  have  been  such  contrasts  of  light  and 
shade,  and  such  association  with  events  of  critical 
historic  interest,  as  to  furnish  the  materials  for  a 
very  vivid  and  thrilling  picture  —  a  succession  of 
prophecy  and  realization,  instructive  and  inspir- 
ing. Yours  sincerely, 

Robert  H.  Parkinson. 


LOVING    TRIBUTES.  1 33 

Chicago,  III.,  May  18,  1884. 
Mrs.  C.  H.  McCormick: 

Df:ar  Madam,  —  You  have  my  warmest  sym- 
pathies in  your  bereavement.  It  is  no  doubt  a 
source  of  gratification  that  he  was  such  a  prac- 
tical friend  to  the  human  race,  and  has  been  so 
acknowledged  on  every  side  by  those  who  know 
it  best,  since  his  death.  Of  the  many  things  ac- 
complished by  him  are  the  following :  — 

I.  By  his  inventive  genius  the  burden  of  gath- 
ering the  harvests  of  the  world  has  been  made 
lighter  for  millions  of  men  and  women,  and  has 
afforded  the  toiling  masses  good  bread  at  low 
prices,  who  would  otherwise  have  been  obliged  to 
eat  coarser  and  poorer  food. 

II.  By  his  patronage  of  the  press  and  institu- 
tions of  learning  the  world  is  more  enlightened, 
and  consequently  there  is  more  real  joy  and  less 
misery. 

III.  By  his  liberality  to  the  church,  he  has 
been  enabled  to  help  in  great  measure  in  the  ex- 
tension of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  among 
men.  Thousands  will  rise  up  to  call  him  blessed 
for  offering  the  means  to  provide  the  gospel  for 
them  when  they  needed  it. 

IV.  And  better  yet,  as  the  Master  said,  "  Rather 
rejoice  that  your  name  is  written  in  the  Lamb's 


134  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

book  of  life."  No  doubt  his  name  was  written 
there,  and  that  he  heard  that  welcome  plaudit, 
"  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant,"  etc. 
May  his  mantle  of  service  fall  upon  you  and  his 
children,  and  may  you  all  be  possessed  of  a  double 
portion  of  that  spirit  with  which  he  served  his 
God  and  the  world.  The  time  is  but  short  when 
you  and  yours  will  be  called  to  meet  him.  The 
Lord  bless  and  keep  you,  and  grant  you  a  long 
life  of  usefulness  and  joy  in  his  service. 
Yours  in  Christ, 

Robert  Weidensall. 

Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  Jttne  12,  1884. 
Dear  Mrs.  McCormick,  —  I  cannot  let  the  sad 
hour  of  your  life  pass  away  without  adding  my 
word  of  sympathy  to  the  thousands  which  you 
have  received  throughout  the  country.  The  death 
of  your  husband  may  be  in  a  manner  likened  to  a 
national  calamity.  By  his  genius  he  lifted  the 
burdens  from  the  shoulders  of  thousands,  made 
food  abundant,  and  reduced  the  danger  of  death 
by  starvation.  Wherever  civilization  has  advanced 
McCormick's  Reaper  is  known,  and  his  machines 
have  done  more  to  elevate  the  human  race  than 
any  invention  of  the  day,  as  there  can  be  no  prog- 
ress without  first  \\i7s}^\Xi^  food  cheap  and  abundant^ 


LOVING   TRIBUTES.  1 35 

and  the  reaper  has  done  more  for  the  tiller  of  the 
soil  than  all  other  inventions  combined.  I  feel 
that  you  can  be  congratulated  upon  having  been 
the  wife  of  a  man  who  has  done  so  much  for  his 
race,  who  has  left  such  a  bright  mantle  of  distinc- 
tion upon  his  children,  and  who  died  full  of  honor 
and  full  of  years.  He  had  lived  out  the  measure 
of  his  life  fully  and  completely, — who  could,  who 
would  do  more  ?  My  relations  with  him,  as  a 
physician  and  as  a  friend,  were  extremely  cordial. 
With  all  his  aches  and  pains  and  infirmities  so 
trying  to  the  nervous  system,  I  found  him  always 
the  same  courtly,  urbane  gentleman.  I  cannot 
recall  a  single  unpleasant  episode  in  our  intimate 
association.  My  entire  family  unite  with  me  in 
warm  greeting  to  you  and  yours,  with  the  assur- 
ance that  none  more  cordially,  more  heartily  wish 
you  happiness  than  we. 

With  high  regard,  sincerely  your  friend, 

A.  S.  Garnett. 

Mrs.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick. 

53  Broadway,  New  York,  May  14,  1884. 

Mrs.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Chicago  : 

My  dear  Madam,  —  I  am  sure  you  will  credit 
me  for  earnest  sincerity  when  I  assure  you  of  my 
heartfelt  sympathy  for  the  loss  of  your  most  excel- 


136  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

lent  husband,  distinguished  ahke  for  his  public 
usefulness  and  his  private  virtues. 

It  has  been  with  me  the  regret  of  years  that 
you  gave  up  your  residence  in  New  York,  by  which 
I  was  deprived  of  the  opportunity  of  the  social  in- 
tercourse which  I  so  much  enjoyed  during  the 
period  of  his  sojourn  in  this  city. 

You  and  his  family  have  reason  to  be  proud 
of  his  career,  which  has  left  its  mark  upon  the 
history  of  our  nation's  rapid  progress  in  material 
prosperity,  in  furnishing  the  most  important  step- 
ping-stones in  the  march  of  our  agricultural  pros- 
perity by  which  our  national  wealth  has  been  in- 
creased by  untold  millions,  and  at  last  he  has 
fulfilled  his  happy  destiny,  and  full  of  years,  and 
with  an  unblemished  reputation,  he  leaves  naught 
but  pleasing  memories  behind. 

With  the  assurance  of  my  sincere  regard,  I  re- 
main, yours  faithfully,  Austin  Baldwin. 

Mrs.  E.  D.  Junkin  writes, — 

I  recall  with  great  pleasure  the  only  time  I  saw 
your  dear  lamented  husband,  at  our  home,  then  at 
New  Providence  Manse,  Virginia,  when  he  called 
near  to  our  dinner  hour.  I  pressed  him  to  dine 
with  us,  —  he  declined,  asking  "  only  for  a  cup  of 
cold  water,"  and  making  some  such  pleasant  re- 


LOVING   TRIBUTES.  1 37 

marks   about  those  words  of  our   Saviour  as   to 
make  a  lasting  impression  upon  my  mind. 

Henderson,  Ky.,  June  19,  1884. 

My  dear  Mrs.  McCormick,  —  Will  you  allow 
the  old  missionary  from  Kentucky  to  mingle  his 
tears  of  sympathy  and  sorrow  with  you  and  your 
loved  ones  in  your  desolated  home  ?  I  have  not,  I 
never  can  forget  those  delightful  visits  and  the 
cordial  and  hearty  welcome  received  at  that  happy 
home  on  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 

I  can  still  see  the  large,  loving  heart  mount  into 
his  face,  and  hear  the  cheering  words  of  your  late 
husbahd,  now,  alas,  hushed  in  death.  I  have 
never  met  Brother  McCormick  without  feeling 
better,  happier,  and  nearer  our  heavenly  home  ; 
indeed,  his  whole  life  was  a  benediction,  but  he  is 
called  up  higher  and  has  received  a  starry  crown. 

I  need  not  tell  you,  my  dear  madam,  that  there 

is  only  one  place  for  bereaved  ones  to  go  with 

their  sorrows  and  sufferings :  we  must  go  and  tell 

Jesus.     He  alone  can  pour  the  balm  of  consola- 

=tion  into  our  bleeding  and  broken  hearts. 

"In  every  pang  that  rends  the  heart, 
The  man  of  sorrows  had  a  part, 
He  sympathizes  with  our  grief, 
And  to  the  sufferer  sends  relief." 
18 


13S  LOVING    TRIBUTES. 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord 
from  henceforth  :  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they 
may  rest  from  their  labors :  and  their  works  do 
follow  them." 

"  Rest,  rest,  rest,  brother,  rest ! 
Sweet  thy  repose  on  Jesus'  breast. 
Battle  all  fought,  and  victory  won, 
Tearful  we  say  '  God's  will  be  done  ! ' 
Rest,  brother,  rest." 

Praying  that  the  shadow  of  the  Rock  of  Ages 
may  be  around  you  and  yours,  I  am  your  sympa- 
thizing friend,  John  McCullagh. 


38  East  Thirty-third  St.,  May  16,  1884. 

I  need  not  tell  you,  my  dear  friend,  that  our 
hearts  are  with  you  in  your  deep  affliction.  I 
would  I  could  utter  some  word  of  comfort  to  you 
and  to  your  children.  The  infinite  Father,  in 
whose  bosom  your  husband  rests,  best  knows  how 
to  console  you. 

An  eminent  writer,  alluding  to  a  loss  similar  to 
your  own,  says,  "  For  the  first  sharp  pangs  there 
is  no  comfort!  Whatever  goodness  may  surround 
us,  darkness  and  silence  will  hang  about  our 
pain." 

I  know  this  to  be  true  ;  and  yet,  even  in  the 


LOVING    TRIBUTES.  1 39 

first  days  of  overwhelming  sorrow,  there  is  a  cer- 
tain consolation  in  the  "  clinging  companionship 
with  the  dead,"  and  in  the  careful  gathering  up  of 
all  that  remains  of  him,  in  our  own  memories  and 
in  the  memories  of  our  friends.  We  run  back- 
ward along  the  path  we  trod  with  him,  and  pick 
up  the  gems  he  scattered  on  the  way.  Nothing 
seems  small  or  trivial.     Everything  is  sacred. 

While  I  write  to  you  I  remember  so  many  little 
things,  all  tending  to  illustrate  the  tender  side  of 
Mr.  McCormick's  character,  expressions  dropped 
by  the  way  of  pity  for  the  infirm,  of  devotion  to 
his  mother's  memory,  of  love  unutterable  of  his 
own  immediate  family.  I  remember  the  earnest- 
ness with  which  he  said  to  me,  "  I  feel  anxious  to 
keep  my  children  together  and  make  them  feel 
dependent  on  each  other.  It  is  painful  to  me  to 
think  of  divided  and  scattered  families." 

He  cherished  a  picture  of  his  mother,  and  once 
calling  my  attention  to  it  said,  "  It  is  a  good  face, 
—  a  strong,  honest  face."  Talking  of  flowers  one 
day,  he  said,  "  I  love  the  old-fashioned  pinks  be- 
cause they  grew  in  my  mother's  garden  in  Old 
Virginia." 

The  first  time  I  ever  saw  him  was  in  the  little 
Presbyterian  chapel  in  Washington.  My  hus- 
band pointed  him  out  to  me,  expressing  his  own 


I40  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

interest  in  the  invention  which  was  then  new 
to  the  world,  and  his  faith  in  its  final  success. 
The  strong,  firm  face,  the  attentive  manner  dur- 
ing the  service,  are  still  fresh  in  my  memory.  I 
knew  him  well  when  he  was  in  the  prime  of  his 
life  ;  when  he  had  realized  all  he  could  desire  of 
honor  and  success.  Then,  as  always,  he  seemed 
to  me  singularly  free  from  ostentation,  and  from 
desire  for  outward  "  show  and  circumstance." 
He  eagerly  sought,  for  himself  and  his  family,  in- 
fluences of  the  highest  Christian  character. 

I  recall  with  tender  appreciation  my  interviews 
with  him,  at  intervals,  during  the  last  four  years 
of  his  life,  of  many  kind  expressions  toward  my- 
self and  my  children,  of  esteem  and  friendship  for 
my  husband,  of  gratitude  for  the  smallest  atten- 
tion or  service  rendered  him.  The  last  time  I 
saw  him  was  during  his  last  visit  to  New  York. 
Feeling  very  sad  to  see  him  so  ill,  I  expressed,  as 
I  leaned  over  his  chair,  my  regret  and  sympa- 
thy. He  looked  up  at  me  kindly  and  replied,  "  It 
does  seem  hard, —  it  is  hard,  —  but  I  have  great 
comfort  in  ejaculatory  prayer."  It  was  this  that 
enabled  him  to  triumph  over  mortal  pain,  and 
preserved,  in  its  vigor  and  clearness,  the  mind, 
which,  to  the  last,  was  able  to  guide  great  inter- 
ests, industries,  and  beneficent  enterprises. 


LOVING   TRIBUTES.  I41 

Remembering  those  large  interests,  I  feel  that 
my  own  record  is  of  very  little  moment.  I  have 
only  brought  a  tiny  gem  or  two,  as  setting  for  the 
grand  central  jewels  of  his  crown.  Others  will 
doubtless  record  the  brilliant  achievements  of  a 
long  life.  I  love  to  dwell  on  his  great  and  tender 
heart,  his  true  and  affectionate  nature. 

Writing  of  him  thus  he  has  seemed  very  near ! 
He  passed  away  so  gently  we  scarcely  realize  he  is 
gone.  It  was  not  death,  it  was  translation  !  One 
moment  he  was  here  with  a  prayer  on  his  lips  for 
you  all,  the  next  moment  he  had  passed  away 
"  out  of  darkness  into  light,  out  of  dumbness  into 
song,  out  of  weakness  into  strength,  out  of  pain 
into  serenity." 

Nothing  comforts  the  soul  so  much  as  the  hope 
of  reunion  with  our  beloved  dead.  As  the  disci- 
ples talked  with  their  Divine  Master,  a  cloud  re- 
ceived Him  out  of  their  sight.  But  in  answer  to 
their  upward  gaze  a  comforter  was  sent  to  them 
with  assurance  of  reunion  to  their  lost  friend. 

We  also,  with  mortal,  tear-dimmed  eyes  gaze 
upward !  Alas,  we  cannot  pierce  the  cloud,  but 
none  the  less  is  the  promise  ours  that  nothing  is 
lost  of  those  we  have  loved ;  that  for  them  and  for 
us,  all  is  ordered  by  a  wisdom  that  errs  not,  and 
a  love   that  cannot  be  unfaithful.     "  They  have 


142  LOVING   TRIBUTES. 

passed  into  the  presence  of  God  and  of  His  Son. 
We  are  immortal  upon  the  earth  until  He  calls 
us.  And  as  the  infant  rests  upon  its  mother's 
bosom  and  knows  no  fear ;  as  the  star  swings  in 
silence  upon  the  mighty  will  of  God,  and  knows 
no  tremble  in  all  its  structure,  so  our  minds  may 
rest  upon  this  assurance  of  the  Divine  wisdom 
and  love,  and  remain  in  infinite  tranquillity  and 
peace."  Sincerely  yours, 

Sara  A.  Pryor. 


LOVING    TRIBUTES.  143 

"HE   BEING   DEAD,  YET   SPEAKETH." 

Man  toils  to  be  remembered  ;  spire  and  dome, 
And  monumental  hands  outstretched  on  high. 
And  marbled  speech  of  glories  that  have  been, 
And  pages  eloquent  with  storied  wit, 
The  moving  splendor  of  harmonious  song 
Conspire  to  cry  aloud  :  "  Remember  me, 
O    living  men,  remember  me  who  died." 

But  one  has  lived  who  raised  no  carven  shrine 

To  blazon  forth  the  splendors  of  his  name; 

Who  hewed  no  crimson  monument  of  slain 

With  conqueror's  sword  ;  whose  speech  was  not  for  fame. 

He  overcame  his  fellow-men  by  good 

In  generous  strife  ;  and  in  the  gentle  spring, 

When  the  broad  hillside  smiles  with  tender  green, 

When  golden  summer  glows  along  the  plains. 

And  waves  the  rustling  billows  of  the  grain. 

The  wide  earth  utters  forth  his  message  then. 

The  message  sung  on  Galilean  hills 

To  watching  shepherds,  "  Peace,  good-will  to  men." 

His  name  is  written  in  the  springing  grain. 
His  message  whispers  in  the  rustling  fields  ; 
His  praise  the  chorus  of  the  harvest  song  ; 
A  prince  of  nature  and  a  prince  of  men, 
A  royal  steward  of  the  Blessed  King ; 
His  garnered  bounty  fed  the  lord  and  serf. 
Mankind  has  been  his  guest ;  what  wonder  now 
Mankind  is  sad  when  he  is  laid  to  rest ! 

E.  P.  Davis. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

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